Hackers Stole $7.5 Million in Grant Money From US Health Department

  • Grant recipients in limbo as investigation of hacks continues
  • Health-care sector increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks
Xavier Becerra speaks at the Department of Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington, DC.Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Hackers stole millions of dollars in grant money from the Department of Health and Human Services last year in a series of attacks, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Between late March and mid-November, the hackers gained access to an HHS system that processes civilian grant payments and withdrew about $7.5 million intended to be awarded to five accounts, said the people, who asked not to be named as the details aren’t public.