On August 14, 2019, Washington-based healthcare center Grays Harbor Community Hospital (GHCH) and Harbor Medical Group (HMG) revealed that around 85,000 patients were affected in a ransomware attack. The compromised information included patients' full name, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number, home address, insurance details, and medical information.
On June 15, GHCH identified that a ransomware virus had encrypted its databases containing patient information; the attack originated from an employee unknowingly clicking on a malicious link sent through a phishing email. In exchange for the decryption keys, the attackers demanded a ransom of $1 million. However, the healthcare center did not give into the demands of the attackers, and has recovered most of the data from backups.
As soon as the attack was identified, GHCH notified the FBI and hired a cybersecurity team to help it recover from the attack. The healthcare center is in the process of notifying the affected patients. It is also offering Experian credit monitoring services to those impacted, and has taken steps to review its security systems.
Cyberattacks can be costly. If you want to avoid disasters like these, invest in a tool like ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus that can secure data and mitigate ransomware attacks. Download a 30-day, free trial of DataSecurity Plus today.
Investing in a ransomware detection tool helps you detect and respond to ransomware attacks in real time to minimize the impact on your organization. Here are some best practices to handle ransomware attacks.
Detect ransomware with real-time mass access alerts. Monitor the frequency of file modifications by a user, and issue alerts whenever the number of modifications crosses a specified threshold within a specified time.
Quarantine ransomware and shut down infected devices with a customizable and automated response system. Set up your own automated alert responses through the execution of a batch file to respond to mass access alerts automatically.
View in-depth details of events for further investigation. Generate customizable, audit-ready reports on all file-related changes, access attempts, and share permissions.
ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus has the ability to perform all of these best practices, and can automatically identify and mitigate ransomware threats. Start your free, 30-day trial of DataSecurity Plus today.
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