Security News > 2020 > October > Ryuk this for a game of soldiers: Ransomware-flingers actively targeting hospitals in the US, cyber agencies warn

Ryuk ransomware is being aggressively deployed to target US healthcare institutions, government cyber organisations in the US have warned.

The caution comes as US hospitals faced an unusually high level of malware and ransomware attacks in spite of promises from criminals earlier this year that they would avoid targeting medical institutions.

Sonicwall researchers "Tracked aggressive growth during each month of Q3, including a massive spike in September" in Ryuk attacks targeting the US. While countries such as the UK, Germany, and India saw declines in Ryuk, "The US saw a staggering 145.2 million ransomware hits - a 139 per cent year-on-year increase," said the firm in a statement.

Terry Greer-King, Sonicwall's EMEA VP, told The Register: "The bad guys, just like anybody else, are trying to be more efficient in terms of bang for buck. You can make a lot of money out of ransomware Pretty damning that they're attacking hospitals but I guess money talks."

Ransomware attacks have also been targeted at hospitals elsewhere in the world, though the increase in attacks hasn't been reflected as strongly as in the US. .

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/10/29/ryuk_ransomware_us_hospitals_warning/