Agencies update warning on ransomware known to target health care

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI and U.S. Secret Service this week issued an updated advisory on the Russian-speaking Conti ransomware gang to include a list of over 100 domain names and naming characteristics used to distribute the ransomware and conduct attacks. 

John Riggi, AHA’s national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, said, “The Conti gang is of particular danger to U.S. health care as multiple attacks against U.S. hospitals and health systems and an attack against the entire Irish National Health System have been attributed to them. Some of these attacks resulted in significant regional disruption of health care delivery. On Feb. 25, 2022, the gang announced their support for Russia and stated they would retaliate against the West for what they view as any ‘cyber aggression’ by the U.S. against Russia. As the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds and the effect of economic sanctions against Russia take hold, we need to ensure that the latest technical and strategic threat intelligence is incorporated into our cyber defenses and we maintain a heightened cybersecurity threat posture in the event Russia unleashes cyber weapons targeted against Ukraine or U.S. critical infrastructure.” 

For more information on this or other cyber and risk issues, contact Riggi at jriggi@aha.org.