Police file cyber terror case as AIIMS system hacked in ransomware attack

PATIENT SERVICES OFFLINE FOR SECOND STRAIGHT DAY, OFFICIALS PIN HOPES ON SECONDARY BACKUP TO RECOVER MEDICAL RECORDS

NEW DELHI: Emergency responders raced to restore the computer networks at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi (AIIMS) and police opened a probe for “cyber terrorism” on Thursday as the country’s foremost government hospital remained crippled following a cyber attack that knocked offline patient services such as appointment booking, billing and diagnostics reporting.

The suspected ransomware attack has meant that patients and doctors are unable to access records or test reports, even as experts flagged a potentially bigger problem if the hack also results in some of this data being accessed by the attacker.

“Various government agencies are investigating and supporting AIIMS in bringing back the digital patient care services. We hope to be able to restore the affected activities soon,” said an update issued by the administration. Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) cell filed an FIR invoking sections of cyber terrorism against unknown persons, while teams of the government’s information technology arm,

National Informatics Centre and Computer Emergency Response Team attempted to restore the network. According to a senior officer, preliminary investigation has hinted that the cyber attack may have been perpetrated from outside India.

This is the first instance of a major Indian hospital — in this case, the country’s most prominent government hospital that also treats high-ranking officials — being affected by ransomware. Such attacks involve a malware that locks away file access, crippling regular functioning.