DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

NJ Spine Center saw no other option but to pay ransom

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Dissent

Oof. This notification from the New Jersey Spine Center, sent to patients on September 22, describes a real disaster where not only essential patient files and credit card information were locked up, but their most recent backup was too.  No wonder they paid the ransom.

On July 27, 2016, our computer systems were attacked by a malware ransom virus called “CryptoWall.” The malware was detected by our virus protection software but unfortunately not until after our electronic patient records were encrypted. The virus encrypted, thereby rendering unusable, all of our electronic medical record files that contained all of the clinical information on our patients such as procedures, office notes, reports, etc. In addition to the medical information, the records contained demographic information such as date of birth, address, and in some cases SSN, credit card and account information. The virus also encrypted our most recent system backup and even disabled our phone system. The individuals demanded that we pay a monetary ransom in order to receive an encryption key to unlock the files. Seeing no other option, we elected to pay the ransom to gain access to the records. We notified the FBI and local authorities regarding the incident. Unfortunately, these individuals often operate outside of the United States, making detection, identification and prosecution nearly impossible.

The virus likely utilized a list of stolen passwords and ran an automated program that attempted access until a correct match was found.

Read the full letter here.  Their press release, posted to their site, provides a lot less detail and doesn’t mention paying ransom, but it does add one detail: they regained access to their files on August 1. They do not mention how much the ransom was.

Related posts:

  • Grays Harbor Community Hospital and Harbor Medical Group notifying 85,000 patients of ransomware incident; Not all EMR have been recovered
Category: Health DataMalwareOf NoteU.S.

Post navigation

← Habitat for Humanity Colorado discloses severely handicapping data breach
InfoArmor: Yahoo Data Breach Investigation →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Texas Centers for Infectious Disease Associates Notifies Individuals of Data Breach in 2024
  • Battlefords Union Hospitals notifies patients of employee snooping in their records
  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni
  • Detaining Hackers Before the Crime? Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court Approves Preventive Custody for Cyber Offenders
  • Potential Cyberattack Scrambles Columbia University Computer Systems
  • 222,000 customer records allegedly from Manhattan Parking Group leaked

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data
  • Sacred Secrets: The Biblical Case for Privacy and Data Protection
  • Microsoft’s Departing Privacy Chief Calls for Regulator Outreach
  • Nestle USA Settles Suit Over Job-Application Medical Questions

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.