The hospital that fell victim to hacking ultimately succumbed to the attackers' blackmail, paying a ransom of $23,000.
As we informed you in our article at the end of last week, a ransomware managed to wreak havoc at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, California, paralyzing the medical institution's computer network.
The hospital's computers were down for more than a week after being infected with sophisticated ransomware, which encrypted a large portion of the files on the Presbyterian Medical Center's network.
In order to release the "electronic keys" to unlock the infected computers, the hackers demanded a ransom in Bitcoins, with initial information indicating an amount of... 3.6 million dollars.
As a result of the attack, the hospital's IT network was paralyzed, some parts of the hospital were out of service, and staff referred emergency cases to other hospitals.
The clinic's only way out was to pay the ransom, and the authorities eventually succumbed to the blackmail, paying a ransom in bitcoins, amounting to approximately $23,000, despite the exorbitant amount initially requested.
“The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and receive the decryption key,” said the clinic’s CEO, Allen Stefanek.
"We did our best to restore and normalize the operation of the hospital," he added.
The FBI, in collaboration with the LAPD, as well as other cybercrime prosecution agencies, have taken over the investigation of the case, while so far no further information has been made public.
