Hospitals Face Deadly Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations increased 94 percent from 2021 to 2022. The U.S. government has warned that an aggressive ransomware campaign has targeted hospitals across the U.S. from North Korea since 2021, reports The Guardian. More than two-thirds of healthcare organizations in the U.S. said they had experienced a ransomware attack in 2021, up from 34 percent in 2020. Additionally, 41 percent of such attacks globally were conducted against US-based firms in 2021.

Ransomware hacks have caused major healthcare disruptions, including delayed chemotherapy treatments and ambulances being diverted from a San Diego emergency room after computer systems were frozen. In one case, a lawsuit filed by the mother of a baby who died in Alabama alleged it as the first “death by ransomware.” The mother blamed a 2019 hack of a hospital for the fatal brain damage of her newborn after heart rate monitors failed. Experts say that the possibly devastating consequences for medical facilities may be one of the reasons hackers have identified them as a high-profile target because they assume healthcare organizations are more willing to pay ransoms to save lives. In 2021, 61 percent of healthcare organizations that suffered a ransomware attack paid the ransom – the highest percentage of any industry sector.