More than two months after the start of a ransomware debacle whose impact ranks among the worst in the history of cybersecurity, the medical firm Change Healthcare finally confirmed what cybercriminals, security researchers, and Bitcoin's blockchain had already made all too clear: that it did indeed pay a ransom to the hackers who targeted the company in February. And yet, it still faces the risk of losing vast amounts of customers' sensitive medical data. In a statement sent to WIRED and other news outlets on Monday evening, Change Healthcare wrote that it paid a ransom to a cybercriminal group extorting the company, a hacker gang known as AlphV or BlackCat. 'A ransom was paid as part of the company's commitment to do all it could to protect patient data from disclosure,' the statement reads. The company's belated admission of that payment accompanied a new post on its website where it warns that the hackers may have stolen health-related data that would 'cover a substantial...
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