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A ransomware hack has led to the death of a woman who gave birth in a hospital. Ransomware hackers can take control of computers networks and demand payment in cryptocurrency to restore them. This is a crime that could be very dangerous for hospitals and other critical infrastructure.
The hackers overtook Springhill Medical Center in Alabama in 2019. The hospital refused to pay ransom or admit to the attack. The Wall Street Journal reports that instead, it shut down its network and tried to continue as normal. Junior staff were suddenly unable to perform the jobs that used to be automated, so doctors and nurses had to suddenly treat patients without having access to critical digital records or equipment.
According to the WSJ, Teiranni Kidd was able to give birth to Nicko Silar a week after the attack. The staff didn't notice Nicko's dangerously fast heartbeat, which was a sign Nicko's umbilical cord was wrapped around the neck. Nicko died nine months after her birth, unresponsive and with severe brain injury.
Kidd has since sued the hospital. Documents show that medical staff had texted each other about how they could have prevented the death. It is unclear if they could have seen the warning signs and would have delivered Nicko by caesarean section.
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Although the hacker has not been identified publicly, the WSJ reports it to be the Russian Ryuk gang. They have attacked at least 235 hospitals as well as dozens of other healthcare facilities since 2018 with ransomware.
This case is the only one that has been reported. However, Joshua Corman, a senior advisor to the Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told the WSJ the hackers could cause healthcare workers to perform worse overall.
He said that cyberattacks can cause severe stress and can lead to excessive deaths.
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