Focus: Cybersecurity

Ransomware Attack Leads To Death Of Patient In Germany

Woman died after being diverted to facility 20 miles away when hackers shut down hospital where she was being admitted


A woman in Germany died because the Duesseldorf University Hospital was hit by a ransomware attack couldn’t accept emergency patients, so she was sent to another facility 20 miles away, according to an article on the Campus Safety website.

According to the Associated Press, hackers were able to gain access to the system via weak spot in some unidentified commercial add-on software.

Thirty servers at the hospital were encrypted and an extortion note left on one of the them.

Cyberattacks are increasing during the coronavirus crisis. Cybersecurity company Bitdefender found that pandemic-related attacks increased five-fold in the first two weeks of March. In May and June, an average of 60 percent of all received emails were phony, the article said.

In early April, Interpol warned of increasing ransomware attacks targeting hospitals, knowing the facilities are preoccupied and vulnerable, according to an article on the Security Boulevard website.

Read the full Campus Safety article.

 

 



September 29, 2020


Topic Area: Information Technology


Recent Posts

Making the Energy Efficiency Case to the C-Suite

Hospital executives often wrestle with energy decisions made today that either free up budget for patient care or drain resources that could go elsewhere.


How to Avoid HAIs This Flu Season

There are risks surrounding hospitalizations. Here’s how to avoid them.


Design Phase Set to Begin for Hospital Annex at SUNY Upstate Medical

The design will feature a new, expanded emergency department and burn unit to serve the Central New York Region.


Building Hospital Resilience in an Era of Extreme Weather

Expert Jennifer Mahan discusses the vulnerabilities healthcare facilities face during disasters and the infrastructure strategies that keep operations running.


Ennoble Care Falls Victim to Data Breach

Their investigation into the incident is still ongoing.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.