The attacks of ransomware to medical institutes, especially on American soil, are now occurring on an almost daily basis.
The consequence is, in most cases, the loss of patients’ personal data with consequent inconveniences not only with regards to privacy. Apparently, however, i cybercriminali they are going further with even more dangerous attacks.
Among the most advanced tactics of ransomware groups to extort money from victims is the threat of sending a team SWAT to patients whose data was stolen.
As reported by The Registersome hackers are threatening hospitals swattingas happened for the institute Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center of Seattle (hacked last November). The hospital involved itself confirmed the threat, with local police investigating the incident.
Ransomware and SWAT: a new and fearsome extortion strategy of cybercriminals
Swatting is a well-known practice, which consists of contacting the police with a false report so that the police send a SWAT team to the victim’s home.
Compared to the past, when everything was limited to sales on the Dark Web of stolen personal data, takes on even more worrying contours. Although the United States has a tough policy against ransomware, cybercriminals always seem to find a new strategy to be effective. All this taking into account that, according to some recent studies, attacks of this type on hospitals cost on average one life per month in the states alone.
In fact, prevention is still the best defensive weapon, both for ordinary users and for large companies and medical facilities. Pay close attention to e-mail received, avoid download and execution of suspicious filesdo not click on links that lead to URL potentially harmful, are some of the main steps to avoid unpleasant encounters with ransomware.