Hospitals across the country have been put on high alert following a tip from a reliable source claiming that an aggressive Russian cybercriminal gang is planning on launching cyberattacks against medical care facilities. The FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security organized a conference call with healthcare industry executives to warn about the imminent threat. The Russian gang in question is known for deploying powerful ransomware called Ryuk. Krebs on Security received a tip from Alex Holden, a cyber intelligence professional, stating that he observed online communications between members of the Ryuk ransomware group discussing plans to deploy a coordinated ransomware attack on more than 400 healthcare facilities.
However, the healthcare industry executives claim that the agencies offered few concrete details during the conference call on how these organizations can protect themselves from the campaign. The Ryuk gang often uses malware infrastructure unique to each victim to maximize the effects of the attack. Cybersecurity firm Mandiant released a list of domains and internet addresses used by Ryuk in previous attacks to aid the organizations in protecting their systems.
Read More: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent, Credible Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals
