Editor's Note
The American Hospital Association (AHA) November 6 is alerting healthcare institutions to a new ransomware known as BlackSuit, which is likely to pose a serious threat to the healthcare and public health sectors.
According to AHA:
- BlackSuit is very similar to the Royal ransomware family, which followed the Russian-linked Conti operation, known for encrypting files and rendering them inaccessible until a ransom is paid.
- These threats are specifically targeted at healthcare institutions and often infiltrate through phishing emails or compromised websites.
- The use of BlackSuit ransomware has already been observed in a few small attacks, including against a US-based healthcare organization in October 2023, where servers and systems were encrypted with malware.
- There were also at least three attacks involving the BlackSuit encryptor identified by a cybersecurity firm, with ransoms below $1 million.
If the connection between BlackSuit and Royal is confirmed, it will heighten the potential for expanded and more serious attacks that need to be closely monitored.
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