Tag: rhysida
‘Dark Unicorns’ target US healthcare
Ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector have risen by a third in 2024 with the US the prime target. Cybersecurity company Black Kite reports 374 incidents in the past year, a 32.16 percent rise in the number of attacks on the industry over 2023. Healthcare is now among the top targets for ransomware, surpassed only by manufacturing and professional services. The rapid rise in ransomware attacks on the healthcare sector is the result of increasing ruthlessness on the part of ransomware gangs. Until relatively recently, some sectors, such as healthcare and education, were considered off-limits. According to Black Kite, if an affiliated criminal gang attacked a healthcare organization, the core ransomware group would frequently step in, apologizing to the victim organization -sometimes even decrypting the ransomed data for free.
British Library breach highlights new threat
The British Library, which houses about 14 million books plus manuscripts and items dating back to 2000 BC, was forced offline in October after refusing to pay a £600,000 ransomware demand. According to The Financial Times, the digital destruction caused by the “deep and extensive” ransomware attack means that the world-renowned library will now be forced to pay ten times that sum to rebuild its online services at a cost of £6 million to £7 million, taking it offline for up to a year. The British Library breach is further evidence of the devastating speed of the latest generation of ransomware attacks. Cybersecurity firm Sophos’s State of Ransomware 2023 report says that threat actors now succeed in encrypting data in 76 percent of ransomware attacks, up from 65 percent in 2022. According to Sophos, there has also been a 62 percent year-on-year rise in intentional remote encryption attacks since 2022
Pittsburgh-area Water Authority Hit by Cyber Attack – November 28th
The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa reported a cyberattack that shut down their water pressure technology, to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this past weekend. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the unassuming cyberattack may come with serious international implications, with the attack suspected to come from an anti-Israeli Iranian threat actor group labeled as "Cyber Av3ngers". This nation-state cyberattack is not the first to disrupt critical water infrastructure.
The EU’s Proposed Cybersecurity Certification Scheme – November 24th
The European Union's Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) is studying the possibility of broadening the proposed cybersecurity labeling rules that may affect big tech operating in Europe. The proposed EU certification scheme (EUCS) vouches for further cybersecurity measures of cloud services, ensuring companies in the bloc select an EU-based certified cybersecurity vendor for their business.
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.
GhostSec exposes Iran’s surveillance of its citizens – August 28th
Hackers hold Prospect Medical's data 'hostage' Hacker group Rhysida has been identified