Covenant Health data breach affects nearly 500,000 patients

When a healthcare data breach is first disclosed, the number of people affected is often far lower than the final tally. That figure frequently climbs as investigations continue. 

That's exactly what happened with Andover, Mass.-based Covenant Health. The Catholic healthcare provider has now confirmed that a cyberattack discovered last May may have affected nearly 500,000 patients, a sharp increase from the fewer than 8,000 people it initially reported earlier this year. 

A ransomware...