5 things you need to know about the new general hospital cybersecurity crisis
- The massive data breach at a major U.S. general hospital has exposed the private medical records of over 2.5 million patients, including Social Security numbers and diagnoses.
- Hackers demanded a ransom of $50 million in cryptocurrency, and after the hospital refused to pay, they leaked a portion of the sensitive files on the dark web.
- Critical surgeries and emergency room admissions were delayed for three days as the hospital's entire digital system was taken offline to contain the attack.
- Federal investigators, including the FBI and Department of Health and Human Services, have launched a joint probe into whether the hospital violated patient privacy laws.
- Patients are advised to freeze their credit, monitor for identity theft, and contact the hospital's dedicated hotline, which has been overwhelmed with calls since the news broke.