Director says FBI stopped cyberattack on Boston hospital

The FBI thwarted a planned cyberattack on a children’s hospital in Boston that was to have been carried out by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday.

Wray told a Boston College cybersecurity conference his agents learned of the planned digital attack from an unspecified intelligence partner and got Boston Children’s Hospital the information it needed last summer to block what would have been “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I’ve seen.”

“And quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital, protected both the network and the sick kids who depended on it,” Wray said.

The FBI chief recounted that anecdote in a broader speech about ongoing cyber threats from Russia, China and Iran and the need for partnerships between the U.S. government and the private sector.

He said the bureau and Boston Children’s Hospital had worked closely together after a hacktivist attacked the hospital’s computer network in 2014. Martin Gottesfeld launched a cyberattack at the hospital to protest the care of a teenager at the center of a high-profile custody battle and later was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The attack against the hospital and a treatment home cost the facilities tens of thousands of dollars and disrupted operations for days.

“Children’s and our Boston office already knew each other well — before the attack from Iran — and that made a difference,” Wray said.

He did not ascribe a particular motive to the planned attack on the hospital, but he noted Iran and other countries have been hiring cyber mercenaries to conduct attacks on their behalf.

When it comes to Russia, he said, the FBI is “racing” to warn potential targets about preparatory actions that hackers are taking toward destructive attacks. In March, for instance, the FBI warned it was seeing increased interest by hackers in energy companies since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Hackers from China, meanwhile, have stolen more corporate and personal data from Americans than all other nations combined as part of a broader geopolitical goal to “lie, cheat and steal,” Wray said.

The speech took place as the FBI continues to combat ransomware attacks from criminal gangs.

BONNIE CASH/POOL PHOTO VIA AP 2022 FBI Director Christopher Wray, testifying before the Senate last month, said Wednesday his agency thwarted a planned cyberattack on a Boston children’s hospital that was to have been carried out by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government.