"Pro-Russia Hackers Targeted More than 400 US Hospitals in 2020"

Plans of Russian-affiliated hackers to disable and hold over 400 US hospitals hostage were discussed in 2020 in an online chatroom. However, these plans were successfully disrupted by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Cyber Command. A Ukrainian researcher revealed that the Russian cybercriminal gang known as Trickbot was behind the ransomware plot to force 428 US hospitals to quickly pay ransomware as they dealt with surging COVID-19 cases. The group's documents date from the summer and fall of 2020, and US authorities disrupted the gang's attack infrastructure. Since then, Trickbot's operations and malware have been enhanced. US federal authorities have been warning healthcare organizations of the growing threat of ransomware. In fall 2020, the US Homeland Security Department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued alerts pertaining to the targeting of the healthcare sector with Trickbot malware to launch ransomware attacks, steal data, and disrupt critical healthcare services. US hospitals that experienced ransomware attacks include Sonoma Valley Hospital, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Enloe Medical Center, all 250 Universal Health Services facilities, and many others. Trickbot is also suspected of having been behind 16 attacks against US emergency responders in 2021. This article continues to discuss the Russian-affiliated Trickbot cybercriminal gang's plans to attack over 400 US hospitals in 2020, the disruption of the group's infrastructure by US authorities, and the overall growth in ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities. 

Campus Safety reports "Pro-Russia Hackers Targeted More than 400 US Hospitals in 2020"