Once
again the heat was felt by the Los Angeles-based Presbyterian Medical Center
when a group of hackers had sealed all its sensitive files and demanded $17,000
USD to regain the access to those compromised data.
The
devastation of the compromised files can be pitched as:
- Compromised emails
- Lockout Electronic Medical Record System [EMR]
- Encrypted patient data
- Unable to carry CT Scans of the admitted patients
- Ferried risky patients to nearby hospitals
- ...and much more unexplained outcomes.
Hospital End
up Paying $17,000
As
the situation was grown out of wild, the hospital paid 40 Bitcoins (Roughly
US $17,000) to the Ransomware Criminals to resume their medical operations
after gaining the decryption keys.
"The
quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative
functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," the
hospital CEO Allen Stefanek said in a letter.
All
the electronic medical system were restored back soon after unlocking the
encrypted file locks.
The
Ransomware had stolen the nights of many network administrators, as they would
be often blamed to fight up this nasty threat; instead of blaming staffs who
click the illegit links in their e-mail.
The FBI
Advises Victims to Just Pay the Ransom
Last
year, even the FBI advised paying off the Ransom amount to the
ransomware criminals as they had not come up with any other alternatives.
Several
companies had got webbed in the Ransomware business including a US Police
Department that paid US $750 to ransomware criminals three years back.
Criminals
often demand the ransom in BTC (their intelligent move) for the
surety of not getting caught, as Bitcoin transactions are non-trackable due to
its decentralized nature.
So
until and unless a permanent solution evolves, users are requested not to click
malicious or suspected links sent via an unknown person.
The
frequent payment to Ransomware encourages the hackers in the dark to stash the
cash and develop a more enticing framework for the next target.
But
affecting a medical system is a heinous crime as hospitals are acting as a
bridge between life and heaven.
Ransomware attacks are very common in healthcare industry.For robust prevention against healthcare ransomware attacks, hospitals and health systems need to takecare of different aspects.One of the main reason for these attacks is lack of employee knowledge on cybersecurity. Cybersecurity related online communities become a good reference for employees to get more information. I would like to suggest Opsfolio.com, an online community for those involved with healthcare cyber security, which is a right guide for me to get healthcare cybersecurity informations.
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