Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, a 430+ bed hospital in downtown Los Angeles, has been hit by a cyberattack and its systems are being held hostage by hackers who are demanding a $3.6 million ransom for their release.
The incident took place in early February, and the hospital silently notified the local police and the FBI, who took over the investigation of the incident, in collaboration with a well-known cybercrime firm.
Hackers demand 9,000 Bitcoins
The hackers are demanding a ransom in Bitcoins of $3.6 million (€3,200,000) in order to release the "electronic keys" that will unlock the computers.
So far, there is no further information on how the attack took place, as hospital officials remain silent, but there are two possible scenarios.
The first is that ransomware hit the hospital's IT network and spread to a large number of computers via a local LAN server, resulting in a total ransom for each infected computer of 9,000 Bitcoin.
The second most prevalent scenario is that hackers breached the hospital's IT network and, having infected the most important computers with ransomware, are demanding more money than usual, due to the importance of the target.
Some parts of the hospital have been closed
As NBC Los Angeles reports, the hospital's computer network has been paralyzed, and staff are referring emergencies to other hospitals.
Hospital staff use paper and pencil to record patient information and use fax to communicate with other departments, while patients must come to the hospital in person to receive their test results, as email servers are inaccessible.
The administration has also banned staff from turning on their computers, fearing that other workstations will be affected. Because computers are vital to much of the medical equipment, the hospital's Radiology and Oncology departments have been completely shut down.
Allen Stefanek, the hospital's CEO, told NBC4:
"At this time, we have no evidence that any patient or employee information has been compromised or intercepted by the attackers."
Stay tuned to Secnews for any updates regarding the case.
