Medical Centers impacted by ransomware around the U.S.
Greater Baltimore Medical Center Hit by Ransomware Attack
BY MIKE LENNON
The Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson, Maryland was hit by a ransomware attack that impacted computer systems and medical procedures, the healthcare provider said Sunday. In late October, the U.S. government warned hospitals and healthcare providers of an “increased and imminent” ransomware threat. The alert warned that threat actors are targeting the healthcare sector with the TrickBot malware in attacks that often lead to ransomware infections, data theft and disruption of healthcare services.
The ransomware attack is the latest of many that have impacted healthcare providers over recent months. In September, a ransomware attack forced the shutdown of more than 250 locations operated by Universal Health Services (UHS). Also in September, an attack shutdown IT systems at a hospital in Duesseldorf, Germany, resulting in the death of a woman after she had to be taken to another city for urgent treatment.
TrickBot has been updated with functionality that allows it to scan the UEFI/BIOS firmwareof targeted system for vulnerabilities, security researchers recently discovered. READ MORE…
UHS Shuts Down Systems in U.S. Hospitals Following Cyberattack
BY IONUT ARGHIRE
In the end of September, 2020, Universal Health Services (UHS) shut down IT networks at multiple hospitals in the United States, after being hit with a cyberattack. A Fortune 500 company operating more than 400 facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, the healthcare services provider has approximately 90,000 employees and claimed an annual revenue of $11.4 billion for 2019. While many said that patient care wasn’t critically affected, others detailed difficulties in receiving lab results or performing other types of investigations in a timely manner. There was also one unconfirmed report of patients dying due to such delays. Furthermore, Bleeping Computer and TechCrunch report that information from people with knowledge of the incident leads to the conclusion that the Ryuk ransomware was used. READ MORE HERE…
As Hospitals Cope With a COVID-19 Surge, Cyber Threats Loom
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
The (University of Vermont Medical Center) Vermont hospital had fallen prey to a cyberattack, becoming one of the most recent and visible examples of a wave of digital assaults taking U.S. health care providers hostage as COVID-19 cases surge nationwide.
The same day as UVM’s attack, the FBI and two federal agencies warned cybercriminals were ramping up efforts to steal data and disrupt services across the health care sector.
By targeting providers with attacks that scramble and lock up data until victims pay a ransom, hackers can demand thousands or millions of dollars and wreak havoc until they’re paid.
Ransomware is also partly to blame for some of the nearly 700 private health information breaches, affecting about 46.6 million people and currently being investigated by the federal government. In the hands of a criminal, a single patient record — rich with details about a person’s finances, insurance and medical history — can sell for upward of $1,000 on the black market, experts say. READ MORE…