The rise of ransomware attacks

“The Pitt,” the popular HBO medical drama set in a fictional Pennsylvania emergency room, includes some truly outlandish plotlines: a patient’s heart is pumped by hand; another loses a leg in a waterslide collapse. But one element is rooted in something increasingly realistic and threatening.

In the last ten years, cyberattacks have become more and more common in sectors like healthcare, education and other essential infrastructure. Last summer, a ransomware attack hit the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, bringing down computer networks for weeks and causing some cases to grind to a halt. Last month, the University of Mississippi Medical Center closed nearly three dozen clinics for over a week after hackers breached their network and demanded a payout. 

Management can feel incentivized to fork over ransoms because it is often more costly and time consuming to fight the attack. And in sectors like healthcare, the consequences of sustained logistical gridlock can be dire.

As cyberattacks grow in number and sophistication, what can be done to safeguard vulnerable sectors? What are the risks for companies and individuals who have their data compromised? And what is the federal government doing to prevent malicious foreign entities from causing chaos on a large scale?  

Guests: 

• Anja Shortland, professor at King’s College London and author of the forthcoming book “Dark Screens: Hackers and Heroes in the Shadowy World of Ransomware”
• Mark Lance, ransomware negotiator at Guidepoint Security