Guard Against ‘Ransomware’ Attacks by Checking Your Security Systems

An urgent care center in Oxford, MS had to tell some 58,000 patients their personal health and credit card information may have been compromised in a “ransomware” attack—after the operator also agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to the cyber pirates who carried out the act. Concerns started when computer systems started running dramatically slower without explanation. Soon after, the servers were completely taken over by parties beyond the clinic’s walls; control was not restored to the center until the ransom had been paid. The FBI continues to investigate, but indications are that the attack was carried out by Russian hackers. In the meantime, the business is trying to help patients who may have been affected protect their assets by offering a free year of credit monitoring. You can lower your risk for falling victim to similar crimes by having an electronic security vendor conduct thorough diagnostics of your systems. If you don’t have one, try browsing JUCM’s Urgent Care Buyers Guide.