Ransomware in the Face of a Health Crisis

摘要

It's been three years since the WannaCry ransomware attack struck the world, affecting business operations of all kinds in approximately 150 countries. Yet, even as most industries recovered from the initial attack that jolted the information technology world across the planet, the impact continues to be felt. According to a June 2019 report from cybersecurity firm Armis, for instance, more than 40 percent of healthcare organizations experienced a cyber attack involving the WannaCry ransomware cryptoworm within the six months prior. The goal of WannaCry has been to encrypt the data on the computer and display a demand for ransom to be paid in bitcoin. Researchers have indicated that this method has worked; some estimates have put the cost of WannaCry attacks at over $4 billion in financial losses, including $325 million in paid out ransom. "Healthcare, manufacturing and retail sectors have high rates of old operating systems in their networks," the report indicated.