CASE STUDY
In today’s digital health ecosystem, cyber threats aren’t just possible—they’re inevitable. The following high-impact cases show what happens when organizations skip Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT). These real-world breaches cost millions, halted patient care, and shattered reputations. With Tempest Healthcare IT’s VAPT tools, these disasters could have been avoided.
Change Healthcare – 2024 Ransomware Crisis
In early 2024, Change Healthcare—America’s largest medical claims processor—was crippled by a ransomware attack. Hackers stole 6 terabytes of sensitive patient and billing data and disrupted operations across the country. Hospitals couldn’t bill insurers, pharmacies couldn’t dispense prescriptions, and clinics couldn’t process claims, leading to a near standstill in care delivery.
The attack caused nationwide healthcare payment paralysis, forcing small and midsize practices into emergency financing. Some waited weeks for reimbursements, jeopardizing payroll and operations. The brand was dragged through public and congressional scrutiny. Providers accused Change of negligence. The long-term loss of trust among healthcare institutions has severely damaged its credibility.
How it could’ve been prevented: Early credential leak detection, third-party risk assessments, and simulated penetration attacks could have flagged vulnerabilities before real attackers exploited them.
You can read about it here:
Ransomware attack on U.S. health care payment processor ‘most serious incident of its kind
23andMe Genetic Data Leak – 2023
In 2023, 23andMe suffered a credential-stuffing attack that exposed the DNA data of 6.9 million users. Attackers leveraged weak password practices to scrape personal and ancestry information, which later surfaced in extremist online forums targeting ethnic groups.
The fallout? Massive public backlash. The UK government fined 23andMe £2.3 million for failing to secure user data. Multiple class-action lawsuits followed, with users accusing the company of negligence. Consumer trust in genetic testing plummeted, forcing 23andMe into full damage control mode with multi-factor authentication rollouts and security overhauls—after the damage had already been done.
How it could’ve been prevented: Penetration tests on login endpoints, MFA implementation reviews, and credential reuse detection could have blocked this attack vector.
You can read about it here:
DNA testing firm 23andMe fined £2.3m by UK regulator over ‘profoundly damaging’ cyber attack
Anthem Inc. Breach – 2015
Anthem, one of the largest U.S. health insurers, fell victim to a phishing-based breach that exposed the personal information of 78.8 million individuals, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and employment data.
The company paid $115 million in class-action settlements—the largest healthcare data breach settlement in U.S. history. Additionally, Anthem was fined $16 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for violating HIPAA rules. Public confidence eroded overnight. The incident became a textbook example of what happens when cybersecurity readiness fails at scale.
How it could’ve been prevented: Simulated phishing campaigns, privilege audits, and lateral movement testing through VAPT would have uncovered internal weaknesses and trained employees to respond better.
You can read about it here:
Data Breaches Are Costly—Prevention Is Priceless
Every case above had one thing in common: the vulnerabilities were preventable. With proactive Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT), these organizations could have:
Detected weaknesses in login portals and access control
Simulated phishing, ransomware, and brute-force attacks
Assessed third-party vendor exposure
Met compliance before regulators came knocking
Tempest Healthcare IT’s VAPT suite delivers enterprise-grade testing for medical systems, billing software, EHRs, and more—ensuring you’re covered before a breach happens.
Protect your systems, brand, and patients now. Book a free VAPT consultation →