According to the CyberPeace Institute , cybercriminals targeting hospitals and other healthcare organizations are putting patients' lives at risk. That's why steps must be taken to hold all hackers and criminals involved accountable.
Hospitals have been facing many issues and have been under pressure over the past year due to the COVID-19. Many cybercriminals have tried to exploit the fact that hospitals are vulnerable, carrying out ransomware and other attacks.
When hospitals are faced with a ransomware attack, they are very likely to pay the ransom to the hackers, because they believe it is the fastest and easiest way to restore their networks and systems, and by extension, the systems related to patient care.
See also: Ransomware is responsible for half of hospital data breaches
This of course causes a big problem for the staff, who may suddenly be unable to adjust devices and health systems, while patients may be sent to other hospitals for treatment. This could be very dangerous, since immediate transfer of patients may not be possible. However, the worst thing is that even months after the attack, there may be problems with patient care.
“There is a real-time impact and a long-term impact,” said Stéphane Duguin, CEO of the CyberPeace Institute.
“When hospitals and healthcare are hit by ransomware, what is the quality of care going to be six months later or a year later? It’s very concerning because there’s a possibility that you’re going to get not-so-good quality care if you end up in that hospital. Care can take longer than it did before an attack,” Duguin said.
Because of this, the CyberPeace Institute report “Playing with Lives” argues that attacks on healthcare are attacks on society as a whole. These attacks, although cyber, can put the lives of many people at risk, especially at this time, when hospitals around the world are filled with COVID-19.
See also: CDC: Releases guidelines for those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19
One of the reasons why hackers target hospitals istheir “fragile digital infrastructure.” Healthcare networks are complex because of the variety of specialized devices connected to them. They are also vulnerable because in many cases they use old systems that don’t receive updates.
See also: Increase in healthcare violations! What is the reason?
The use of outdated infrastructure is a major problem for healthcare organizations.
It is important to make investments in cybersecurity, so that new and updated systems and applications are used.
Either way, hackers carry out ransomware attacks on hospitals because they know there is a better chance of getting the money they demand.
Unfortunately, ransomware gangs rarely face justice , and Dunguin argues that governments and law enforcement agencies need to take more steps to track down hackers and hold them accountable.
Source: ZDNet
