LA Hospital Paid Hackers Ransom Bitcoins Worth $ 17,000
A Hollywood hospital paid hackers $ 17,000 in ransom to secure the release of hacked data.
Christian Science Monitor reports Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center fell prey to ransomware, a type of malware that holds data hostage in exchange for a ransom. In this case, the attack was noticed on February 5 and hackers reportedly demanded payment of 40 bitcoins, equivalent to $ 17,000.
"The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key," the hospital said in a statement. "The quickest and most efficient ay to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key. In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this."
According to CSO Online, the hospital's network went offline, forcing staff to record patient data on paper and use telephones or fax for communication. Some patients were also shifted to other hospitals. A few essential diagnostic services were also unavailable for about a week due to the hack.
Security experts recommend not paying a ransom though law enforcement agencies may sometimes suggest payment if services offered by affected computers are critical, reports CBS. It was not immediately known if law enforcers like FBI had suggested Holliday Presbyterian Medical Center to pay the hackers. Efforts are reportedly on to determine the identity of the hackers.
