Over a hundred Romanian hospitals affected by ransomware attack

A devastating ransomware attack targeted more than 100 healthcare facilities in Romania last week, forcing hospitals to resort to pen and paper after their systems were compromised. The cyber criminals demanded 3.5 Bitcoin, equivalent to over £130,000, to unlock vital encrypted files. Fortunately, recent data backups helped minimize the impact of the attack. The Romanian Ministry of Health confirmed the attack and stated that 25 hospitals were affected. The incident has prompted concerns about patient care and safety, as hospitals have been forced to switch off internet-connected devices, potentially affecting booking systems and medical equipment. Gerasim Hovhannisyan, CEO of EasyDMARC, emphasized the importance of having a detailed response plan in place for such attacks, particularly for critical infrastructure organizations like healthcare facilities. This incident marks one of the largest disruptions to a European healthcare system since the ransomware attack in Ireland in 2021.