Ransomware Gone Awry Has Fatal Consequences

A ransomware attack reportedly caused a priceless loss for a hospital in Duesseldorf, Germany, whose critical admission and patient records systems was knocked offline. A patient who needed urgent admission had to be sent to another hospital because her medical records could not be accessed. She lost valuable time and did not survive the transition.

According to the Associated Press, the Duesseldorf University Clinic was not even the intended target of the attack, which included a ransom note directed to the affiliated Heinrich Heine University.

When authorities notified attackers of their unintended targets, the criminals quickly sent a key to decrypt the affected servers. But the relief came too late for the patient who died.

According to the justice minister, the attackers are no longer reachable, though prosecutors have said they intend to investigate those responsible on charges of manslaughter because of the lost life.

Read more here.