Ransomware attacks are becoming an increasingly common type of cyberattack. In the past week, three major ransomware attacks have been reported, each with a different set of victims.
The first attack occurred at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona in Spain. According to a press release, the attack disrupted the hospital’s computer systems, cancelling nearly 90 emergency operations and preventing 3000 patients from receiving general checkups. Fortunately, the hospital had an efficient backup plan in place and thus has no intention of paying the ransom demanded by the hackers.
The second attack occurred in Oakland, California. The attack was launched early last month, but this week the hackers released the stolen data – 10GB of information including personal info, police investigation files, bank details, and criminal records – when the victim failed to pay the ransom on time.
The third attack comes from the findings of a survey conducted by Kaspersky. The survey revealed that two out of five IT systems in industrial environments had been infected with malware in 2022, a number that is expected to increase this year. The attackers are using social engineering techniques to launch their attacks.
Finally, a joint operation conducted by German, Ukrainian, Europol, and US authorities resulted in the arrest of members of the DopplePaymer Ransomware gang. This gang is suspected of attacking 601 companies worldwide, including 37 in Germany and 69 in the US. In one particularly heinous attack, the gang targeted a university hospital in Dusseldorf, leading to the death of a 78-year-old patient due to delayed emergency treatment.
In conclusion, ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly common, with three major attacks occurring in the past week. Fortunately, authorities have been able to take down some of the criminals behind these attacks. It is essential that individuals and organizations take the necessary steps to protect their data from ransomware attacks.