Hollywood Presbyterian hack signals more ransomware attacks to come

Hollywood Presbyterian hack signals more ransomware attacks to come

Experts says cybercriminals favor these types of attacks because they are reasonably easy to pull off and have a big impact.

As hackers hold Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center’s data and demand $3.4 million Bitcoin to give it back, experts say the “hostage situation” likely signals more ransomware attacks to come.

“There is no style to this attack,” said Kevin Johnson, CEO of firm Secure Ideas. Johnson said that it was likely messaging-based, whether a malicious link in an email or perpetrated via a social network and, basically, an employee fell for it.

Such attacks are particularly alluring to cybercriminals, in fact, because they are reasonably easy to pull off and have a big impact.

The Hollywood Presbyterian situation is not the first ransomware attack. But in other high-profile instances, including Anonymous’ DDoS attack on Boston Children’s and the more recent hit on Flint, Michigan-based Hurley Medical Center, the attackers acted as hacktavists looking for either the release of a patient or what they called “justice” for Flint’s water crisis.

In the case of Hollywood Presbyterian, however, the cybercriminals are demanding the hospital pay a $3.4 million ransom if they want their data back.

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