⁍ The FBI is investigating the targeting of more than two dozen hospitals across the United States by a sophisticated eastern European group.
⁍ A new wave of attacks in Oregon, California and New York became public just this week, according to three cybersecurity consultants.
⁍ The attacks led to a teleconference call on Wednesday between hospital IT administrators, cybersecurity experts, FBI and Homeland Security officials.
⁍ Government officials warned hospitals to: make sure their backup systems were in order and to disconnect systems from the internet where possible.
– More than two dozen hospitals across the US were hit with a wave of ransomware attacks this week that demanded money to get their computers to work again, Reuters reports. According to the Los Angeles Times, the attacks hit hospitals in Oregon, California, and New York. Experts say the attacks were carried out by a group known within the security industry as Wizard Spider or UNC-1878. The ransomware used in the attacks is called “Ryuk,” and it locks up a victim’s computer until a payment is made. Experts say this is the first time any hospitals have been targeted by the same group. “This appears to have been a coordinated attack designed to disrupt hospitals specifically all around the country,” a threat intelligence analyst with US cybersecurity firm Recorded Future tells Reuters. “While multiple ransomware attacks against healthcare providers each week have been commonplace, this is the first time we have seen six hospitals targeted in the same day by the same ransomware actor.” Experts say UNC-1878 is “one of most brazen, heartless, and disruptive threat actors I’ve observed over my career.” The FBI is investigating the attacks.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-cyber/fbi-probes-string-of-recent-ransomware-attacks-on-us-hospitals-idUSKBN27D35U