[BreachExchange] Ransomware halts health organization’s ability to inform public on COVID-19

[Destry Winant]

https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/ransomware/ransomware-halts-health-organizations-ability-to-inform-public-on-covid-19/

Officials at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District were dealt a
blow in their ability to inform the public about the Coronavirus
outbreak when it was attacked with ransomware knocking its website
offline.

The attack struck on March 10, according to published reports, taking
down the website and the staff’s ability to access records. The
website has since been recovered and the organization said the attack,
which was conducted using NetWalker (aka mailto) ransomware, did not
affect email accounts, environmental health records and patient
electronic medical record.

While the site was down, the Illinois-based facility used Facebook to
keep patients informed on Coronavirus-related matters.

An email to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District for further
details has not yet been returned.

NetWalker was first seen in the wild in August 2019, but it was not
until February 2020 that it was determined to be hitting enterprise
level targets, according to Bleeping Computer. The malware is
considered to by highly sophisticated.