Tag: healthcare
62% of Top Ransomware Groups Activated Remote Attacks in 2023 – December 27th
According to Sophos' latest report, 62% of the most active ransomware groups in the world deliberately enable remote encryption for their attacks. Sophos' report entitled "CryptoGuard: An Asymmetric Approach to the Ransomware Battle," gathered the data based on Sophos' detected and halted ransomware attacks in 2023. The report further stated that remote encryption is used as a tactic for effective, widespread ransomware attacks within organizations, aiming to steal as much sensitive information as possible.
Convicted Russian Pleads Guilty to Ransomware Attacks – December 5th
The Department of Justice announced that the Russian national behind the malware tool Trickbot, used to launch ransomware attacks on American hospitals, pleaded guilty to his role in the malware tool's development. Trickbot was used to facilitate ransomware attacks on a string of American hospitals and health systems, disrupting care delivery and risking patient safety.
Plastic surgeons and patients targeted in extortion rackets
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warns that cybercriminals and online blackmailers are targeting plastic surgeons to harvest electronically protected health information (ePHI) on their patients. Personal ePHI includes sensitive information and photographs, enabling the cybercriminals to extort money from the patients themselves as well as from plastic surgery practices, something that could prove lucrative to blackmailers targeting wealthy celebrities who are in the public eye.
Q3-2023 shows ransomware attacks have doubled since last year – October 16th
The Q3-2023 Ransomware Report of cyber threat intelligence company Cyble has shown that ransomware attacks have doubled over the past year. The reports also show the healthcare sector to be the most targeted in these attacks, and the US as being the most targeted area.
Unknown threat actor targets the US Red Cross
The cyber-war just got dirtier. A year or two back, an age in cyber-years, even the most ruthless cyber-gangs avoided attacking medical facilities to create a better public image in the eyes of the hacker community. Their stance has weakened somewhat since then, with attacks on the health sector becoming more common. But a recent attack on the US Red Cross is unusual enough to ring alarm bells outside the cybersecurity community.
Cyberattacks leave school data encrypted – September 12th
In today's roundup; Cyberattacks encrypt UK school data, Russian threat actors may face lengthy imprisonment, and 'Charming Kitten' hacks 34 company systems.
Healthcare sector attacks on the rise
The healthcare sector is coming under increasingly severe pressure from cyber-attacks. On the heels of news earlier last week that the infamous Lazarus Group is launching a new campaign targeting internet backbone infrastructure and healthcare facilities in the US and Europe comes news of a major attack by the Rhysida ransomware group on Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings.