Colorado based Allergy, Asthma & Immunology of the Rockies, P.C. (AAIR) detects ransomware attack quickly…
The Colorado clinic, AAIR, reported experiencing issues when trying to access documentation on May 16, 2016. Immediately the server was shut down, assuming a virus of some sort was in their system. Thanks to their fast-acting approach, the ransomware attack was not effective. Although the files were not encrypted, it is unknown what information the hackers were able to access.
Health IT Security reported AAIR notified the OCR and local law enforcement of the attempted attack. So far, the clinic has replaced their hard drives and reconfigured their firewalls. They have also hired a third party forensic IT company to ensure no other security measures need to be taken. We encourage all victims of ransomware attacks to take the following steps:
- Notify their current security software program
- Notify the FBI
- Educate themselves/employees on cyber security
- Reevaluate your security software protection
- AND, NEVER pay the ransom
AAIR was fortunate enough to stop the ransomware attack before it was able to execute; therefore no payment demands were made, as files were never encrypted.
For a full list of publicized ransomware attacks in 2016, click here.
We have also generated an interactive map that includes all of the ransomware attacks within the United States that have occurred this year.
