Week 13: In the news

“Ransomware, hospital hacking present growing cybersecurity threats”

Hackers crippled computer systems at a major hospital chain, MedStar Health Inc., one of the the largest health care providers in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, on Monday April 1, 2016. Employees were prompted with a note when they tried to open files on their computers requesting payment in bitcoins to unlock the data while forcing records system offline for thousands of patients and doctors. A similar ransomware attack on Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles last month led to the hospital paying about $17,000 in bitcoins to regain access to its computer systems. But most importantly, the true risk exists when the hackers can sell the medical record data, alter patient data, access billing information, or manipulate vulnerable devices.

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