Hackers leak California hospital patients’ data online after ransomware attack

Ransomware group Vice Society has leaked Los Angeles-based Barlow Respiratory Hospital patients’ data onto the dark web after an August attack, according to a Sept. 11 ZDNet report. 

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Six things to know:

  1. The hospital was struck by ransomware hackers Aug. 27, and its EHR was breached, according to a news release. The hospital said its operations were able to continue without interruption.
  2. The hospital told the publication that law enforcement was immediately notified once it noticed ransomware was affecting several IT systems. The hospital said it is working with a cybersecurity firm to determine the scope of the breach.
  3. “Though we have taken extensive efforts to protect the privacy of our information, we learned that some data was removed from certain backup systems without authorization and has been published to a website where criminals post stolen data, also known as the ‘dark web,'” the hospital said in a statement. “Our investigation into the incident and the data that was involved is ongoing.”
  4. Vice Society has been attacking hospitals and leaking patient data on its data leak site. The hacker group is known to exploit new security and Windows PrintNightmare vulnerabilities, according to the report.
  5. The California hospital is one of several ransomware victims that have had their patient’s data leaked on the dark web by Vice Society. The hacker group operates a data leak site that uploads patient files if hospitals do not pay the ransom.
  6. Indianapolis-based Eskenazi Health’s patient files were also leaked by Vice Society after a ransomware attack that forced it to shut down its IT systems and divert patients.

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