Hospital infected with ransomware. Alvarado Medical Center in California, is just another example of a hospital in the news that experienced operational disturbance due to ransomware.
The San Diego Union Tribune reports that a Prime Healthcare Services hospital, Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, has been hit by a malicious software infection called ransomware. Alvarado Medical Center is now the third hospital in the Prime Healthcare Services network to be hit with the malware.
As of April 4, the Alvarado Medical Center organization was back to fully functioning and operating. Diverting critical care patients to other facilities can be dangerous especially for heart attack victims. Keeping hospital systems up an operating is a major concern for the health and well being of patients.
Could the hospital prevent a ransomware attack in the future? The medical center would need to deploy a comprehensive IT security anti-malware system in order to prevent future cyber-attacks. An excellent cybersecurity tool is Application Whitelisting.
Application Whitelisting security solutions are now the gold standard to prevent ransomware attacks on hospitals and other healthcare organizations. Whitelisting works together with blacklisting antivirus software products to keep hackers from accessing medical system records. Read more about Application Whitelisting for Hospitals.
Hospital Infected with Ransomware Attack Map
We have an interactive map below that includes all of the ransomware attacks within the United States that have occurred this year.
Cyber incidents on hospitals are becoming a common occurrence. Hospitals have critical data they need in order to keep operating. Cybercriminals take advantage of that fact in order to extort ransoms from hospitals. Read more about the in crease of cyber incidents on healthcare facilities. Cyber Attacks on Hospitals – Healthcare Halt Ends Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases (pcmatic.com)
