Operators of the Ryuk Ransomware are continuing to target hospitals amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
According to a report by BleepingComputer, multiple ransomware groups say they will continue targeting hospitals, despite the institutions being overburdened by the current crisis. The tech news outlet was able to contact seven ransomware groups, with the majority confirming they would continue to target hospitals and other medical centers.
Maze and DoppelyPaymer were the only two groups to say they would no longer target healthcare, with the former returning data from a drug testing company prior to the outbreak.
Operators of the bitcoin-related Ryuk ransomware program did not respond to BleepingComputer’s inquiry. However, other reports claim the group is taking advantage of the current pandemic to target healthcare providers.
I can confirm that #Ryuk ransomware are still targeting
hospitals despite the global pandemic. I'm looking at a US health care provider at the moment who were targeted overnight. Any HC providers reading this, if you have a TrickBot infection get help dealing with it ASAP.— PeterM (@AltShiftPrtScn) March 26, 2020
Vitali Kremez, head of research at AI security platform SentinelOne, told BleepingComputer that ransomware attacks against hospitals have not subsided, despite the impact of the Coronavirus.
He said,
Not only has their healthcare targeting not stopped but we have also seen a continuous trend of exploiting healthcare organizations in the middle of the global pandemic.
Featured Image Credit: Photo via Pixabay.com
