Hacked health data: consequences already clearly visible for opticians and their customers

Mathieu Priore / Photo credit: DENIS CHARLET / AFP 8:06 p.m., February 9, 2024

The first harmful effects of this large-scale piracy are beginning to emerge. On Wednesday, the two main operators who manage third-party payment for mutual insurance companies were victims of a cyberattack. The civil status or even the social security number of 33 million French people are now in the hands of hackers. With significant consequences on their health reimbursements, particularly for glasses. 

At opticians, the French people concerned are forced to make a choice: advance the cost of their glasses or wait until the computer problems are resolved. "They want us to give a deposit check for 500 euros to have our drinks. It's not for me, but for my mother-in-law who didn't agree at all. So, we made a cancellation", testifies a woman at the microphone of Europe 1.

Significant financial losses

“Since it’s a medical problem and I need glasses quickly, I will pay for my glasses and wait for the mutual to reimburse me,” counters another. For their part, professionals can no longer correctly inform their clients. Financially, they suffer from this piracy. "Since the platform is down, we don't know how much the customer will be reimbursed. It will represent around fifteen files. At around 400 euros per file, that's 5,000, 6,000 euros", regrets Louis, optician independent in Paris. 

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Especially since the problem is here to stay. The Viamedis platform, affected by this data leak, warned opticians that third-party payment would still not be effective before next week.