cybercrime news

Unethical cybercriminal hackers want ransom for hospital records

 
Patients at an Oklahoma hospital are currently confronted with the prospect of a ransom if they wish to prevent the sale of their personal data.

Integris Health, the largest healthcare system in Oklahoma with over a dozen facilities and approximately 2,000 hospital beds, experienced a "cyber event" in November. According to a statement released by the institution, unauthorized individuals gained access to hospital files on November 28.

These files contained sensitive patient information, including names, dates of birth, contact details, demographic information, and social security numbers. On Christmas Eve, numerous patients whose data had been compromised in the breach began receiving emails from the hackers.

 

Reports have surfaced on pupular feed forum Reddit indicating that the hackers are demanding that patients purchase their own data from a dark web platform accessible through the Tor browser, a highly secure web browser often utilized by criminals for untraceable internet activity. One user disclosed that their personal information was included in the email, which requested a payment of $50 for exclusive access. Should an individual choose to comply with this demand, their data would be removed from the online database. The hackers have set a deadline of January 5 for the affected individuals to respond. Failure to do so will result in the unrestricted sale of their data.