The Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) was hit with a ransomware attack over the weekend (December 5-6) that potentially delayed procedures planned for Monday. Cyber attacks against medical providers and hospitals are at an all-time high, which is particularly difficult while hospitals are trying to address the rising need for services during the pandemic.
GMBC has stated that no patient information has been misused and it is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to recover from the incident.
It is a dire reminder of how important it is for hospitals, medical centers and providers to keep cybersecurity prevention measures as a top priority even as COVID-19 is raging across the nation and taxing health care resources. The cybercriminals have no sympathy for the stresses placed on care givers during the pandemic, and in fact, are using it to take advantage of vulnerable systems at the worst possible time.