Ransomware attack forces 3 Alabama hospitals deter patients

Hackers are seen increasingly targeting healthcare networks and school districts with ransomware attacks and the latest victims happen to be 3 Alabama hospitals named –DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Northport Medical Center, and Fayette Medical Center.

The issue has become too serious as the victimized hospitals were seen turning away patients who needed emergency services to other healthcare units due to the digital disruption.

From early this morning, all local ambulances were seen taking patients who needed emergency attention to other hospitals to ensure their safety and treatment from efficient operators.

As most of the operation theaters in the above mentioned 3 hospitals were unable to attend to emergency services they have chosen to shut their services until this weekend.

Information about the malware strain which hit the databases of the hospitals is yet to be known. But hospital authorities have confirmed that hackers managed to induce file-encrypting malware into the network which blocked access to sensitive info of patients to staff.

Will the hospital authorities bow down to the demands of hackers and pay the ransom or will they go for data recovery services from the backups is yet to be known.

NOTE- According to a report published by Cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, over 621 hospitals, 500 schools, and 169 businesses in the whole of the United States were hit by the ransomware in 2019 alone.