Cyber attacks on hospitals are an almost common phenomenon in the USA and unfortunately often lead to increased patient mortality rates, a new study reports.
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The study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, interviewed more than 600 IT professionals at more than 100 healthcare facilities. Its findings conclude that the fact that hackers are attacking American medical centers at a steady pace is leading to patients receiving worse care and being more likely to die.
Two-thirds of respondents in the Ponemon study who had experienced ransomware attacks said they disrupted patient care, and 59% of them found that it increased patient, putting a strain on the hospital. Nearly a quarter said it led to increased mortality rates at facilities .
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In a ransomware attack, hackers gain access to an organization’s computer networks, lock its data and often demand ransom to avoid publishing the data. Hospitals do not always disclose if they have been victimized.
There have been at least 12 ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities in the US this year, said Brett Callow, an analyst at ransomware company Emsisoft. But because some healthcare companies represent multiple locations, these attacks represented 56 distinct facilities, he said.
More than half of the healthcare facilities represented in the study have been infected with ransomware over the past three years, according to the Ponemon study.
In 2020, an Alabama woman sued her hospital, which had been the victim of a ransomware attack, after her newborn baby died – the case is ongoing .
However, there is no doubt that persistent cyberattacks against hospitals have caused serious harm to patients, said Josh Corman, vice president at cybersecurity firm Claroty and author of a landmark report on the impact of ransomware on healthcare.
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While ransomware attacks are generally considered private criminal enterprises, some of the most prolific hackers behind them have ties to governments.
The US has also accused North Korea of being responsible for a different type of ransomware targeting American hospitals, called Maui.
Source of information: nbcnews.com
