As COVID-19 continues to take its toll on healthcare systems worldwide, cybercriminals are leveraging this time to try and steal money from an already vulnerable system.

According to new findings from Check Point Software, healthcare organizations have seen a 45-percent increase in cyberattacks since November. This is more than double other industry sectors.

Cyberattacks include bots, remote code execution and DDoS, but it’s ransomware that’s become the “weapon-of-choice” against healthcare organizations. Ransomware is a category of malware that locks your files or systems and holds them hostage for ransom. 

“Ransomware attacks against hospitals and related organizations are particularly damaging, because any disruption to their systems could affect their ability to deliver care and endanger life – all this aggravated with the pressures these systems are facing trying to cope with the global increase in COVID-19 cases,” the Check Point report said. “This is precisely why criminals are specifically and callously targeting the healthcare sector:  because they believe hospitals are more likely to meet their ransom demands.”

The report added that the primary two ransomware variants used are Ryuk and Sodinokibi.

Ryuk is a type of ransomware where the threat actors make sure that essential files are encrypted so they can ask for large ransom amounts. As defined by Malwarebytes.com, “Ryuk’s targets tend to be high-profile organizations where the attackers know they are likely to get paid their steep ransom demands. Victims include EMCOR, UHS hospitals, and several newspapers.”

Sodinokibi is also referred to as Sodin or REvil. It’s a ransomware strain that first appeared in April, 2019 and has since become the fourth most distributed ransomware in the world.

This article from threatpost.com, Cyberattacks on Healthcare Spike 45% Since November, outlines various ransomware and cyberattacks healthcare professionals should be on the lookout for. If you are in the healthcare industry, you may want to consider bookmarking it for reference.

As the world’s attention continues to focus on dealing with the pandemic, cybercriminals will also continue to exploit vulnerable industries and organizations, which is why it's essential that organizations maintain good cyber-hygiene and ensure they are protected from cyber attacks with the appropriate insurance coverage.