Dive Brief:
- The U.S. and Canada have released a joint alert regarding the recent wave of ransomware attacks that have affected at least a dozen hospitals since February, reports Motherboard.
- Experts say the attacks, which utilize malware to restrict access to data in exchange for payment, are expected to increase as hackers gain experience and organizations remain easy targets due to their lack of security measures.
- The dual government alert from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre warns the attacks can be devastating, recovery can be difficult, and paying the ransom is not recommended because encourages further attacks and doesn't guarantee restored data access.
Dive Insight:
Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles made headlines recently when it paid hackers a ransom of $17,000 to restore its systems.
Some suggest the March 31 warning is too little too late, considering versions of ransomware have been observed for several years and so many organizations have already been affected this year. The FBI also release an alert a week earlier and requested the help of private businesses in investigating the attacks.
According to Motherboard, most of these attacks have occured in the U.S. in cities such as Los Angeles, Kentucky, and the DC/Baltimore area. Attacks have also been noted in New Zealand and Germany, the alert says.
The alert describes the attacks and risks, and how organizations can protect themselves. In addition to data backup and protection strategies, organizations are encouraged to learn safe handling of email attachments and web links. It adds in the event of such an attack, recovery may require the services of a data recovery specialist.