The risks of ransomware attacks in hospitals during the pandemic

Microsoft issued a warning to hospitals in the United States of the risks of ransomware attacks. These are valid for all hospitals in the world including Romania.

The software company emphasized that “dozens” of hospitals use vulnerable gateways and that this makes them easy targets for Revil ransomware. It scans Internet networks to identify these types of defects. Last year, Revil ransomware distributors accumulated $ 287,000 in just 3 days after launching this type of attack.

In the notification posted on the blog, Microsoft mentioned that medical organizations are particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article says the company has identified dozens of such hospitals and provides tips on how to act to prevent an attack.

The risks of ransomware attacks in hospitals are extremely high

A Microsoft spokesman said for SearchSecurity:

“We have noticed both an increase in phishing / malware type emails on COVID, as well as significant vulnerabilities that may lead to compromise of healthcare providers and technologies. Attackers use their identity to reach users. In addition, attackers use VPN vulnerabilities for ransomware, including targeting hospitals. “

Microsoft recommends that hospitals must correct their VPN vulnerabilities to prevent attacks. Microsoft spokesman explained:

“We recommend hospitals give priority to correcting any VPN vulnerability and open gateways. Attackers actively take advantage of these as people work from home and access information from a distance. ”

Not only are hospitals vulnerable – specialists have identified a wave of cyber threats to the population. For example, a number of websites and applications that promise to provide information about the spread of the virus have been used to gather sensitive information.