A major medical and research university in India has been hit by a serious ransomware attack.
Ransomware attack
So writes the local financial newspaper called LiveMint. The hackers are demanding as much as ₹ 200 crore ($24.5 million) in crypto currency.
Server of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, #Delhi remained affected for 6th day on Monday. Hackers have allegedly demanded Rs 200 crore in cryptocurrency from the hospital authorities: Sources#DelhiPolice denied the claims | #AIIMS pic.twitter.com/HSNlHTOG8q
— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) November 29, 2022
At issue is All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the largest hospital in Delhi where patients are referred to specialists after examination.
According to the report, authorities are currently investigating the ransomware incident. The Delhi Police registers it as a case of cyber terrorism and extortion.
AIIMS is reportedly among one of the top hospitals in the world. For six days now, it has been having problems with its servers. Hackers gained access to the bank’s database and they encrypted all the data.
Only when the million-dollar bill is tapped will they allow the hospital to access the data again. Meanwhile, they are trying with all their might to get the servers themselves back online. This is reportedly going to take at least five days.
Sensitive information
It appears that care is currently being given at the emergency room, laboratory, outpatient and inpatient departments without computers. Very gradually, services are being restarted.
The database contains information on 40 million patients, including prime ministers and judges.
Hackers often choose crypto-currencies because they think the money is anonymous and difficult to confiscate. In practice that does change, as the relevant addresses come under tap. Analysis companies can track money flows, which often – albeit years later – means hackers still fall through.
