![]() ![]() Educational institutions are also frequently subject to ransomware, as they are comparatively easy targets. The harsh reality is that ransomware attacks have the potential to increase disillusionment about the ability of the UK state to provide reliable healthcare.Īlthough healthcare is particularly vulnerable to ransomware attacks given the sector’s lack of cyber security maturity, reliance on sensitive data, and continuous operations, it is not the only critical service witnessing an increase in ransomware attacks. This kind of disruption also increases the workload of administrative and medical staff already under significant strain. The incident resulted in a significant backlog in accessing and processing patients’ records, which had to be updated by pen and paper, causing missed GP appointments and delays in house visits. In August of this year, a ransomware attack against Advanced, a major IT provider for the NHS, caused disruption to NHS services that has lasted for months. Other effects are less immediate, but still degrade the quality of care that patients receive. Indeed, a study by the Ponemon Institute goes as far as arguing that ‘ cyberattacks against hospitals mean higher mortality rates’. The consequences for healthcare services and patients can be serious: cancelled operations and chemotherapy sessions, diverted emergency services, and even, reportedly, deaths. During a wave of ransomware attacks against US healthcare providers in October 2020, one senior member of the group wrote ‘f**k clinics in the US this week… there’s gonna be a panic’. Indeed, leaked chat logs from the organised cybercriminal group behind the Trickbot botnet illustrate their callousness. This is perhaps best illustrated by looking at the consequences of ransomware attacks against three services essential for any functioning society: healthcare, education and local government services.ĭuring the coronavirus pandemic, ransomware groups have been ruthless in directly targeting hospitals and healthcare providers, showing scant regard for the impact on service providers and patients. ![]() ![]() ![]() Instead, practitioners, journalists and researchers need to do more to articulate the broader costs of ransomware for national security, societal resilience, and the wellbeing of individuals. Ransom payments, business interruption and privacy liability costs, as well as the expense of hiring incident response firms, negotiators and crisis managers, are all relatively straightforward to categorise, measure and understand.Īt the same time, the focus on the financial impact of ransomware on businesses risks making it seem abstract and unrelatable to policymakers and the public. Such a focus is understandable given the immediate impact of the financial burden of ransomware on victims. Indeed, it is the financial impact of ransomware attacks that often receives the most coverage. Those that research or follow the growth of ransomware as a highly lucrative criminal enterprise have become used to such figures. This is likely only a small percentage of the actual figure, as many victims do not report to the relevant authorities. In all, relevant financial institutions that track ransomware payments indicated the cost rose to $1.2 billion. Last week, the US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported a record year for ransomware payments by US victims in 2021. ![]()
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