FBI: Ransomware a threat to health care system

BOSTON » Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals are unleashing a wave of data- scrambling extortion attempts against the U.S. health care system designed to lock up hospital information systems, which could hurt patient care just as nationwide cases of COVID-19are spiking. OnWednesday, the FBI and two federal agencieswarned that theyhad“credible informationof an increased and imminent cybercrime threat toU.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” The alert said malicious groups are targeting the sectorwith attacks that produce “data theft and disruption of healthcare services.” The cyberattacks involve ransomware, which scrambles data into gibberish that can only be unlocked with software keys provided once targets pay up.