--- title: How Not to Pay to Ransomware! The Biggest Mistake of the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center description: If you’ve seen the news lately, maybe you read that a Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of nearly $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers because “paying was in the best interest of the hospital and most efficient way to solve the problem,” according to the medical center’s chief executive, Allen Stefanek. So what really happened? The hospital was hit by Ransomware, a type of malware that blocks access to files and systems until a ransom is paid. The first example of ransomware happened on September 5, 2013, when Cryptolocker was unleashed. It quickly affected many systems with hackers requiring users to pay money for the decryption keys. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-not-pay-ransomware-biggest-mistake-hollywood-presbyterian-medical-center/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # How Not to Pay to Ransomware! The Biggest Mistake of the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center If you’ve seen the news lately, maybe you read that a Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of nearly $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers because “paying was in the best interest of the hospital and most efficient way to solve the problem,” according to the medical center’s chief executive, Allen Stefanek. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 2 min read Last updated 28 November 2022 If you’ve seen the news lately, maybe you read that a Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of nearly $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers because “paying was in the best interest of the hospital and most efficient way to solve the problem,” according to the medical center’s chief executive, Allen Stefanek. So what really happened? The hospital was hit by [Ransomware](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/resource-center/resource/ransomware/), a type of malware that blocks access to files and systems until a ransom is paid. The first example of ransomware happened on September 5, 2013, when Cryptolocker was unleashed. It quickly affected many systems with hackers requiring users to pay money for the decryption keys. When systems are down, and the files encrypted, patients’ lives are literally at stake – paying was the only decision the CEO could make – it’s understandable. The question then becomes this: What could the CEO, CIO and IT department of the hospital have done differently before the attack happened? The answer is actually quite simple. Moreover, the solution has been around for decades. The answer is Backup! To be exact, the hospital should have implemented full system backup based on disk imaging technology to protect all their systems prior to any Ransomware attack taking place. Then, if ransomware strikes, the hospital could simply recover the affected systems from the latest backup image. That would take less than a day. No ransom would need to be paid. And lives would be saved! Some may argue that [full image backup](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/true-image-features/) can be expensive, and only critical systems need to be protected in this way. However, can you think of any non-critical system in a hospital? For example, even a single PC can allow hospitals to obtain prescriptions, and save lives. Don’t be a victim of Ransomware If you are a CIO, IT Manager or a Helpdesk manager responsible for your organization’s IT infrastructure, protect your entire infrastructure from the ominous threat of Ransomware with an easy, complete, safe and reliable disk imaging [backup solution](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/). Only then you can be sure that you will not pay ransom – ever! To learn more, [check out this infographic](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/resource-center/resource/13/) that describes how to protect your systems from Ransomware. [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/were-innovating-file-sync-share-get-latest-acronis-files-advanced/) [We’re Innovating in File Sync & Share! Get the Latest on Acronis Files Advanced](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/were-innovating-file-sync-share-get-latest-acronis-files-advanced/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/5-reasons-replace-ftp-file-sharing-now/) [5 Reasons to Replace FTP File Sharing Now](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/5-reasons-replace-ftp-file-sharing-now/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read