A hospital has paid off hackers who installed a virus that encrypted their computer files then demanded a ransom payment.
Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre has been unable to access its computer systems since 5 February.
It eventually caved in to the hackers, paying them the equivalent of $17,000 in digital currency Bitcoin.
Staff were locked out of the entire system, meaning they had to record patient notes with pen and paper, and return to using fax machines.
Hospital chief executive Allen Stefanek said: "The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom.
"In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this."
It is one of the most high-profile examples so far of an organisation caving in to so-called ransomware attacks.
The scam is popular with eastern European hacking groups.
Police often tell victims not to pay the ransom because it encourages hackers, however ransoms are often customised so they are just about affordable for their victims.
Two police departments in Massachusetts recently paid off ransomware hackers after losing access to their files.
The FBI is currently investigating the breach to track down those responsible.
Earlier this year Lincolnshire County Council's IT network was shut down by a ransomware attack.
But the problem was fixed and systems returned to normal in late January.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét