By Dave McKay | October 30, 2020
FBI: US healthcare system facing “increased and imminent” threat of attack
The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services warned that they had “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers”. The attacks are ransomware attacks using the Ryuk ransomware strain.
They suspect Russian-speaking threat actors are behind the attacks, which are believed to be financially, not politically, motivated.
“We are experiencing the most significant cybersecurity threat we’ve ever seen in the United States,” Charles Carmakal, chief technical officer of the cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said in a statement.
In September, a ransomware attack rendered all 250 locations of the Universal Health Services hospital chain unable to function.
Carmakal described the eastern European group as “one of most brazen, heartless, and disruptive threat actors I’ve observed over my career”.
While no one has proven suspected ties between the Russian government and ransomware gangs Alex Holden, CEO of Hold Security, said he has “no doubt that the Russian government is aware of this operation—of terrorism, really”.
He said dozens of different criminal groups use Ryuk, paying its architects a cut.
Source: The Guardian