"Ireland Tests Decrypt Tool After 'Catastrophic' Ransomware Attack"

Irish authorities are testing a decrypt tool to recover health data following the recent ransomware attack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) of Ireland, which led to disruption of healthcare and social services in hospitals and community centers across the country. Medical staff members have had to go back to paper records because of the attack. The attack has also resulted in a drop in appointments in some areas by 80 percent and many outpatient service cancellations. It has been reported that private IT specialist contractors and the Irish National Cyber Security Centre are assessing the integrity of a decryption tool to see if it can safely be applied to healthcare systems. According to the Irish broadcaster RTE, the HSE also secured a High Court order to prevent the hackers behind the ransomware attack and any other individuals or businesses from processing, sharing, or selling the sensitive medical information stolen during the cyberattack. The attackers' threats to leak the information and other patient data online to the public prompted the order. It has been confirmed that the human-operated double extortion ransomware variant called Conti was involved in the attack. Double extortion is a scheme in which hackers try to maximize their chances of making a profit by threatening to sell or auction data encrypted in a ransomware attack. However, the Irish government said that it has not paid the attackers' demanded ransom, and that the ransom will not be paid. This article continues to discuss the impact of the HSE ransomware attack and the decryptor tool being tested to recover stolen health data. 

Silicon UK reports "Ireland Tests Decrypt Tool After 'Catastrophic' Ransomware Attack"