In December, 2019, Overlake Medical Center & Clinics discovered that some employees had fallen for a phishing scheme. On February 7, 2020, they reported the incident to HHS as impacting 109,234 patients. As HHS subsequently summarized things: After the breach, the [Covered Entity] implemented additional administrative and technical safeguards and retrained its staff on the…
Category: Malware
Rideau Valley Health Centre service disrupted due to ‘cyber security incident’
Matthew Lapierre reports that the Rideau Valley Health Centre’s IT systems have been impacted by what sounds like a ransomware incident that knocked out use of their phone system and otherwise impaired their ability to function. In the meantime, the clinic said the majority of physicians would be able to attend previously scheduled appointments, but…
Data of Lister fertility clinic patients and other medical practices compromised by ransomware attack on third-party vendor
Jay Jay reports: In a letter sent to about 1,700 patients, Lister Fertility Clinic said that a ransomware attack on Stor-a-file Limited, a firm that scans medical records for the clinic, compromised the sensitive information of patients. […] The document management firm said that the ransomware attack affected 13 organisations, six of them in the healthcare sector….
U.S. Accuses Russian of Money Laundering for Ryuk Ransomware Gang
Robert McMillan and Kevin Poulsen report: A Moscow entrepreneur was detained during a vacation abroad this month and is now facing extradition to the U.S. on charges that he helped a notorious Russian ransomware group launder payments. The case marks the first arrest in connection with the Ryuk ransomware group, which gained notoriety with a string…
Congress Mulls Ban on Big Ransom Payouts Unless Victims Get Official Say-So
Lisa Vaas reports: A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill – the Ransomware and Financial Stability Act (H.R.5936) (PDF) – that would make it illegal for financial firms to pay ransoms over $100,000 without first getting the government’s permission. The legislation was introduced on Wednesday by the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, North Carolina…
Southern Ohio Medical Center hit by cyber-attack
Adam Black reports: Patients who had appointments at Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) facilities Thursday received notice that their appointments were canceled due to an emergency. Rumors quickly started circulating that the hospital and its facilities we unable to access their computers or phone lines due to the computer system being down. It was later…