October 29, 2020 — 4 min read
FBI warns of large-scale ransomware threat to the U.S. healthcare industry
The threat of a large-scale ransomware attack once again grabbed headlines in the mainstream press as the U.S.’s Federal Bureau of Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Health and Human Services warned that cybercriminals were targeting American healthcare providers.
The alert, which was issued Wednesday, warned that there was “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers” focused on “data theft and disruption of healthcare services.”
The warning comes as hospitals, medical facilities, and healthcare workers around the country are faced with spiking cases of COVID-19. The timing is no accident, as cybercriminals are leveraging the need for these healthcare providers to have access to their data and systems.