Griffin: ‘Protecting Arkansans’ personal information and holding organizations accountable for data breaches are two of my responsibilities under Arkansas law’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing that his office is initiating an investigation of Change Healthcare, Inc., a unit of UnitedHealth Group, under the Arkansas Personal Information Protection Act and the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act in light of a February cyberattack:

“I am initiating an investigation into Change Healthcare, Inc., a unit of UnitedHealth Group, to determine whether the confidential medical information of Arkansans was compromised in the late February cyberattack against Change Healthcare and whether any laws were violated. Additionally, my office will look into whether Change Healthcare used reasonable security procedures and practices to protect this information as required by Arkansas law.

“Protecting Arkansans’ personal information and holding organizations accountable for data breaches are two of my responsibilities under Arkansas law.”

The ransomware attack has disrupted billing and healthcare information systems across the country and has threatened hospitals’ ability to care for patients and pay physicians. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced that it will investigate the cyberattack, citing its “unprecedented magnitude.”

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About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 27 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

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