Cyber Attack Forces US Hospital Offline
The Jones Memorial Hospital in the US state of New York was hit by a cyber attack this week impacting some of its information services. The hospital stated that they used standard computer downtime procedures in response, and they believe no patients’ financial or medical information has been compromised.
The exact cause of the incident was not revealed, although similarities can be drawn to previous ransomware attacks against healthcare providers in the US. While all sectors are vulnerable to such attacks, healthcare organisations in the US are more likely to be specifically targeted by cyber criminals because they operate privately, for profit and have a high reliance on access to data. As a result, these organisations also tend to have appropriate response and backup procedures in place, enabling them to limit the operational and financial impact of cyber attacks.
Duncan is a technology professional with over 20 years experience of working in various IT roles. He has a interest in cyber security, and has a wide range of other skills in radio, electronics and telecommunications.