Hospitals Guard Against Ransomware Attacks Amid Coronavirus

Health centers are gearing up to guard against ransomware attacks and limit their legal liability as the new coronavirus outbreak raises the risk of the incursions.

Hospitals and public health authorities are fortifying back-up systems, boosting reliance on cloud data storage, and educating staff about phishing emails.

“Cybercriminals are generally remorseless,” said Kelvin Murray, senior threat researcher for cybersecurity firm Webroot. “If anything, we will only see an increase of attacks during a crisis such as this.”

Ransomware attacks, typically initiated through phishing schemes, cause mayhem for hospitals because attackers use encryption to block providers’ access to their own files. ...