In the recent years, it has been seen that many businesses have suffered from the internet and ransomware. There’s been a significant increase in ransomware attacks since the 1980s. However, the saddest part is that it has mostly targeted institutions that were in the services business like police stations, hospitals, and fire departments.
The issue is not that they have no such security for their systems. The problem is that they have a lot of personal information about people who are associated with them like a hospital. Recently many hospitals around the world have been victims of ransomware threats. Some have paid a hefty amount to get their data back or to ensure the data is unlocked. Some have lost their data entirely. This is due to the lack of knowledge and training on the part of the organization
Although it is being reported in many cases that a company has been targeted, most ransomware attacks go unnoticed as the amount being paid isn’t a big one. Usually, the criminals ask for a few hundred dollars, and money is exchanged. The money goes untraceable, and nobody gets caught. Especially after the introduction of bitcoins, ransomware criminals have looted more people and have asked them to deliver the money in bitcoins.
The reason why hospitals are an easy target is that they are more vulnerable as they do not use high profile antivirus software or firewalls. Their systems can be hacked into and easily damaged by the virus. In the end, they must pay some amount to the hacker to get the data back. The data has to be recovered entirely to make sure that patient-doctor confidentiality is not compromised.
Similarly, if we look at the police record, their system also contains a lot of sensitive data which is useful in investigating a crime. If this data gets in the hands of a cybercriminal, then it is more likely that it will be used to frame people for extortion, ransom, and other criminal offenses. The police networks are vulnerable because they do not have the latest antivirus software or firewall to protect their devices. Any external attachment which falls on the hands of an inexperienced employee may result in the loss of data. So training is the necessity of the day.
What the organizations can do is that they must install the latest technology that protects their data from an outside invasion. Secondly, employ IT professionals to take charge of their networking. Thirdly, they must train their employees so they can monitor any unwanted activity and report it immediately.
It has been observed that hospitals and other service providers are becoming more vigilant and careful when it comes to online data management and confidentiality of their clients. They should be protected from these threats, and appropriate measures should be taken to protect clients or customers from any inconvenience caused by the criminals.
