Hackers have received a $17,000 ransom from Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center after the hospital paid out to regain control of its computer systems, according to Reuters. The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department are working together in order to find the perpetrators who prevented medical staff from having access to computerized medical records since Feb. 5.
The president of the hospital, Allen Stefanek, put out a statement on Feb. 17 on behalf of the hospital informing people of the attack but assuring onlookers that patient care was not compromised. Stefanek stated that the attack comprised of malware that prevented access to computer systems and stopped medical staff from being able to communicate electronically, forcing staff to rely entirely on paper records and handwritten doctors' notes, according to NBC News.
The ransom was for 40 bitcoins, which are worth approximately $420 each at the current time. Stefanek wrote in his statement that the decision to pay was "the quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions," with systems running normally and free from malware as of Feb 15.
Cases such as this have been dubbed "ransomware," and their increasing popularity is worrying to institutions such as hospitals that are not as up to date on computer security, according to the Associated Press. Liza Myers, a researcher with a computer security firm, said that hospitals are "about 10 to 15 years behind the banking industry" when it comes to fielding cyberattacks. Electronic health equipment is at risk when hospitals are attacked, as they are linked into the computer system and are vulnerable to manipulation, according to the Associated Press.
A spokesperson for the FBI did not immediately comment on whether it had advised Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center or any other company to pay in ransomware cases, but experts working for internet security firms say that it is a common occurrence and that often the most efficient solution is to simply pay out, according to the Associated Press.
