The management at Altus Baytown Hospital has recently made contact with its patients and inquired about the whereabouts of their data. The reason behind this frenzy is a ransomware attack that succeeded in gaining an authorized access to the data systems of the hospital.
A spokesperson from the hospital explained that certain files in hospital’s database were encrypted with cryptographic algorithms—the primary attacking tool of a ransomware campaign. Ransom was demanded by the perpetrators in exchange for a ransomware removal solution. Soon an investigation commenced to ascertain the exact impact of the ransomware on the IT networks of the system. The results of the investigation were mostly positive; there was no evidence that pointed towards the compromise of any patient’s file.
However, the spokesperson had some bad news too. The management explained that those files which had data like names, birth history, and SSN, were locked due to encryption. The data from these files was not transferred to attackers’ location but was made inaccessible for the hospital staff.
In light of these investigations, the hospital authority has begun to recommend its patients to adhere to a number of security measures. Patients are requested to monitor their credit score, bank information, and any other information related to their finances.
In case you believe that you are one of the victims of the attack, follow these guidelines:
- No matter who messages/calls you on phone to get any piece of your personal information; do not reply back. Often, these cybercriminals disguised as credible authorities to trick their victims.
- No matter how authentic an email or its contents looks, if you have any doubts about it avoid clicking and do not engage in the downloading of the files attached.
- If any of your personal information has been breached, immediate contact the law enforcement agencies.
