Agencies alert organizations to ransomware, fake media threats

Posted on: 9/15/23

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) this week alerted the sector to a ransomware group that has claimed more than 60 victims since March, demanding payments ranging from $200,000 to $4 million. Possibly affiliated with the Conti ransomware group, the Akira group has targeted multiple sectors including health care, often delivering initial malware by leveraging compromised credentials or exploiting weaknesses in virtual private networks. To reduce the risk of an attack, the alert recommends organizations implement a strong password policy and enable multi-factor authentication, among other actions. (AHA Today, Sept. 13, 2023)