A Connecticut cybersecurity expert said he is not surprised that the federal government is warning that U.S. hospitals have been hit by coordinated ransomware attacks.
Fred Scholl heads the cybersecurity program at Quinnipiac University.
He said hospitals have been an attractive target for “ransomware gangs” since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
“A lot of the healthcare workers, like IT workers and security workers and administration, are working remotely, so there is a lot more uncertainty and disorganization in those facilities in the first place. So they are going after the weak link as best they can,” Scholl said.
A joint advisory issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI says there is credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals.
They urge hospitals and other health care institutions to take necessary precautions to protect their computer networks.
