(NewsNation) — Cyberattacks have wreaked havoc on the financial results of companies around the world. They are also starting to kill people.
Hackers “want to attack the people who are going to pay,” said cybersecurity expert David Malicoat. “They want that money as quickly as possible.”
In one case earlier this year, a Michigan woman with low blood sugar levels went into cardiac arrest and died after a cyberattack targeted the system that reported lab results. A nurse in Kansas said confusing paperwork led him to nearly administer the wrong dose of medication to a baby in neonatal intensive care.
Both incidents resulted from an attack on Rise, a Catholic health system that operates more than 140 facilities nationwide.
Hospitals “know that if they are attacked, they have minutes, maybe hours, to be able to come back online,” Malicoat told NewsNation’s “On Balance.”
While private and government groups are able to stop most cyberattacks, Malicoat likens it to a hockey goalie.
“They fire hundreds and hundreds of shots… but one or two manage to survive. In cybersecurity, those who survive are the hacks. All these attackers need to be right once and they get through.”
In London, several hospitals were harmed by a ransomware attack at the Synnovis blood testing service. The company says it will likely have to destroy thousands of blood test samples because it cannot connect to electronic health records.
While direct danger to patients is still the exception rather than the rule, traditional ransomware attacks still cost healthcare systems millions.
Change healthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, recently paid a $22 million ransom after hackers froze much of the company’s payment and claims processing systems.
Even after paying the ransom, Change Healthcare says it is offering free credit monitoring to customers who may be concerned about their financial and medical records being exposed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
