OAN’s James Myers
11:20am – Tuesday, February 13, 2024
More than 100 healthcare facilities in Romania have been officially taken offline after hackers launched a massive ransomware attack against at least 25 healthcare facilities in the country, according to Romania’s Cybersecurity Agency.
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Romania’s National Cyber Security Directorate said on Tuesday that the attack started at Pitesti Children’s Hospital and escalated to other medical facilities.
The Cybersecurity Agency also said nearly 80 medical facilities have been disconnected from the internet to ward off hackers.
A large number of medical facilities representing a large part of the Eastern European country.
According to data carried out last year, Romania has 543 hospitals across the country.
Additionally, studies have shown that hospitals have higher mortality rates when they suffer from cyberattacks due to equipment downtime.
Meanwhile, ransomware attacks continue to proliferate around the world, with victims paying a record $1 billion to attackers last year.
Romanian authorities said the hackers used a type of ransomware called Phobos, created by Russian-speaking hackers.
The hackers also demanded a ransom of $3.50 in Bitcoin, equivalent to about $170,000. The agency announced that Romania’s top cybersecurity company, Bitdefender, is currently assisting in the “fight against attacks” on hospitals.
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