The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is actively investigating a cyberattack on Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) that resulted in the theft of sensitive patient data. According to a report from Bloomberg News, the breach targeted Oracle’s healthcare-related servers, with hackers allegedly aiming to extort multiple medical providers across the United States.
Massive Data Breach Exposes Patient Records
The attack, which took place sometime after January 22, 2025, was uncovered earlier this month when Oracle alerted some of its healthcare clients about the unauthorized access. The hackers reportedly copied patient data to an external location, though the full extent of the breach remains unclear. It is not yet known how many patient records were compromised or which healthcare institutions were specifically targeted.
This alarming security incident has raised concerns over the safety of medical records stored on Oracle’s platforms, especially given the company’s significant presence in the electronic health records (EHR) sector.
Oracle’s Connection to Healthcare and the VA Contract
Oracle significantly expanded its footprint in the healthcare industry with its 2022 acquisition of Cerner Corporation, a U.S. healthcare IT firm, for $28 billion. This acquisition positioned Oracle as a major player in electronic health records and cloud-based medical data storage.
Among Cerner’s major projects was a $16 billion contract with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), aimed at modernizing the agency’s healthcare system. However, the contract has faced scrutiny due to outages and performance issues, further complicating Oracle’s handling of healthcare data security.
Hackers Exploited Older Cerner Servers
According to the report, the cyberattack targeted older Cerner servers that had not yet been migrated to Oracle’s cloud storage infrastructure. This suggests that legacy systems, which are often more vulnerable to cyber threats, were a key entry point for the hackers. Oracle reportedly became aware of the breach around February 20, but details about the response and mitigation efforts remain limited.
FBI and Oracle’s Silence on the Investigation
As of now, both the FBI and Oracle have remained tight-lipped regarding the ongoing investigation. The FBI has declined to provide comments, while Oracle has yet to issue an official statement in response to media inquiries.
With cybersecurity threats becoming more frequent and sophisticated, this breach underscores the growing risks facing healthcare providers and technology firms handling sensitive patient information. Organizations must take proactive measures to strengthen their cybersecurity frameworks to prevent future attacks of this scale.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.
