Lives Are At Stake As More US Hospitals Are Hacked

 US government agencies have warned that hospitals across the US have been hit by an aggressive ransomware campaign originating from N. Korea since 2021. 

The number of ransomware attacks on US healthcare organisations has increased by 94% from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from leading cyber security firm Sophos.

Some ransomware gangs pledged to not target medical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but hospitals are still getting hit. Vitally, these attacks don't just affect  IT systems.

Ransomware attacks, in which criminal hackers encrypt computer networks and demand payment to make them functional again, have been a growing concern for both the private and public sector since the 90s. But they can be particularly devastating in the healthcare industry, where even a few minutes of downtime can have deadly consequences and have become ominously frequent.

Ransomware attacks on healthcare are particularly common in the US, with 41% of such attacks globally having been carried out against US-based firms in 2021. “The current outlook is terrible,” said Israel Barak, CISO of Cybereason. “We are seeing the industry experience an extremely sharp increase in both the quantity and level of sophistication of these attacks.”

Ransomware attacks have caused major healthcare disruptions, including delayed chemotherapy treatments and ambulances being diverted after computer systems were frozen. In 2021, a lawsuit filed by the mother of a baby who died in Alabama was the first “death by ransomware”, blaming a 2019 hack of a hospital for fatal brain damage of the newborn after heart rate monitors failed.

The potentially devastating consequences for medical facilities may be one of the reasons hackers have identified them as a high-profile target. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advise hospitals against paying ransoms, but providers often feel they have no choice. In 2021, 61% of healthcare organisations that suffered a ransomware attack paid the ransom, the highest percentage of any industry sector. “The North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors likely assume healthcare organisations are willing to pay ransoms because these organisations provide services that are critical to human life and health,” according to Barak. “When lives are at stake, it makes the decision very easy,” Barak said. “These attackers have identified medical organisations as very, very good targets because they are more likely to pay.” he said.

Attacks are typically carried out by private groups of criminals. In the third quarter of 2021, 30% of ransomware attacks on healthcare entities were carried out by Conti, a crime syndicate thought to be based in Russia, according to an industry report from cyber security firm BreachQuest. However, the recent incidents attributed to N Korea are just the latest state actor to orchestrate ransomware attacks on healthcare organisations.

The healthcare industry has been hit by a perfect storm of factors that have escalated the ransomware problem, with patient information is increasingly being digitised as hospitals struggle with small internet security budgets.

In 2009, the Obama administration passed a bill requiring all public and private healthcare providers to adopt electronic medical records by 2014, resulting in a massive migration of paper patient records to online systems. Today, just 4-7% of the average healthcare provider’s annual IT budget is focused on cyber security, the BreachQuest study said. The move was accelerated by the pandemic, he added, as more providers shifted online to connect with patients during lockdown and hospital staff were stretched thin by the influx of very ill  patients.

CISA has advised a “3-2-1 backup approach” for healthcare entities, including saving three copies of each type of data in two different formats, including one offline. But the CISA advisory to hospitals is “somewhat unhelpful”, said Vincent Berk, chief security officer at the cyber security firm Quantum Xchange, offering generic recommendations about securing data with little clear path to doing so. “The issue with this attack, and any other ransomware attack, is that the cure doesn’t really exist,” he said. “In other words, if it happens, it is already too late.” he said.

Sophos:     NBC:     Guardian:    ISC2:     CBS:     Techtarget:     AHA Innovation:    

You Might Also Read: 

Cyber Attack On US Children's Hospital:

 

« FBI Issues A Warning To Users Of Crypto Currency Apps
Magecart Attacks Hit Hundreds Of US Restaurants »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

Resecurity

Resecurity

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

Hotlava Systems

Hotlava Systems

HotLava network adapters enable today's powerful servers and workstations to deliver more productivity by reducing congestion at the network interface.

CompliancePoint

CompliancePoint

We design and implement strategies, processes & procedures to mitigate risk, reach compliance goals, protect data assets, and meet industry standards.

The Security Awareness Company (SAC)

The Security Awareness Company (SAC)

The Security Awareness Company provides cyber security awareness training programs for companies of all sizes.

Kingsley Napley

Kingsley Napley

Cyber crime is an area of growing legal complexity. Our team of cyber crime lawyers have vast experience of the law in this area.

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

SkillCube

SkillCube

SkillCube is one of the pioneers in India focusing on Cyber Security Skill Development Solutions.

Qrypt

Qrypt

Qrypt has developed the only cryptographic solution capable of securing information indefinitely with mathematical proof as evidence.

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI)

Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI)

LTI is a global technology consulting and digital solutions company with operations in 33 countries.

National Security Services Group (NSSG) - Oman

National Security Services Group (NSSG) - Oman

National Security Services Group (NSSG) is Oman's leading and only proprietary Cybersecurity consultancy firm and Managed Security Services Provider.

Lucata

Lucata

Lucata solutions support groundbreaking graph analytics and improved machine learning for organizations in financial services, cybersecurity, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and more.

Yogosha

Yogosha

Yogosha is a crowdsourced cybersecurity platform enabling a win-win collaboration with the most talented hackers to detect and fix vulnerabilities on your most critical systems.

Avint

Avint

Avint delivers transformational cybersecurity solutions that help both commercial and government entities achieve mission success.

SecurityStudio

SecurityStudio

SecurityStudio is a continuous cybersecurity risk management platform that allows decision-makers to quickly identify the most immediate threats and make confident risk informed decisions.

Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners provide capital, expertise, and support for growth-aspiring technology companies.

at-yet (@-yet)

at-yet (@-yet)

at-yet are an interdisciplinary team of experts. We are all about achieving results, whatever the situation – an acute incident, risk minimisation, safeguarding or data protection.

Viatel Technology Group

Viatel Technology Group

Viatel Technology Group is a complete digital services provider. We have over 26 years’ experience delivering fully managed security, networking, cloud and communications services.

ITUS Secure Technologies

ITUS Secure Technologies

ITUS offer fully outsourced cybersecurity solutions working with leading security vendors, providing next-gen solutions.