U.S. hospitals warned of imminent ransomware attacks from cybercriminals

(DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) informed hospitals regarding a “credible of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to US hospitals and healthcare providers.”

The federal agencies warned that cybercriminals have been targeting the hospital industry, and expected them to launch “ransomware attacks and data theft” that could lead to “disruption of health care services.”

Cybercriminals might use Ryuk ransomware for “financial game.” Ryuk is a dangerous type of malware that encrypts the files of victims. Usually, the cybercriminals behind Ryuk ransomware attacks demand a high ransom from their victims in exchange for a decryption key to regain access to their files.

Cybercriminal group UNC1878 behind the recent ransomware attacks on hospitals

The federal agencies’ warning follows the recently coordinated ransomware attacks on multiple hospital IT networks by a group of cybercriminals from Eastern Europe particularly Russia.