 |
| The ransom demand is affecting the Irish healthcare system |
Ireland's HSE has shut down all IT systems after a complex and widespread ransomware attack on Friday disrupted coronavirus testing and other patient services.
An Irish health official said: There was a widespread ransomware attack on the computer system but no details were revealed.
The Minister of Public Procurement and E-Government said: This attack is an international group of responsible cyber criminals. It's not espionage, it's an international attack, but just a few cybercriminals are looking for money.
HSE said in a tweet: We have taken precautions to shut down all computer systems in order to protect them from attacks and to be able to fully assess the situation with our security partners. Sorry for the inconvenience and we will provide more information when: Available.
The vaccination schedule in Ireland was not affected, and appointments were set as planned, but registration at the registration portal was canceled.
Doctors also cannot refer patients for coronavirus tests, so they have been told that patients can use the test center without setting an appointment.
HSE said: The ambulance service is operating normally and the prime minister said Ireland will not pay a ransom.
The ransomware attack has struck all national and local systems in Ireland participating in all essential services.
Additionally, health organizations are common targets of ransomware attacks because they are very passionate about quickly restoring order.
Due to the nature of the service, medical staff is generally limited time so they can click, download, and process emails quickly. However, it can also fall victim to social engineering email attacks.
The news faltered after a major US cyber attack on colonial pipelines had crippled natural gas distribution systems in southeastern states.
Colonial resumed operations but said the delivery schedule would return to normal within a few days and the company paid the hackers a ransom of $ 5 million.
This attack is believed to have been carried out by the relatively new hacking group DarkSide, but cybersecurity analysts consider it dangerous.
HSE is not the only organization to announce Friday that it has come under a ransom attack, as Toshiba Tech, the Japanese tech giant Toshiba, said its European operations fell victim to these piracy attacks on May 4th.
In 2017, the UK's National Health Service became one of several organizations targeted by the malicious program, WannaCry.