The Bottom Line Upfront
The RansomHub ransomware gang has released up to 100 gigabytes of data stolen from the Florida Department of Healthafter the department refused to pay a ransom following a cyber attack.
The Breakdown
- The attack disrupted critical services, including recording births and deaths. The published data comprises personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI), like chest X-ray scheduling logs, workers' compensation records, passport images, prescriptions, and more.
- High-profile hacking of the Florida government underscores the vulnerability of public sector institutions to cyber-attacks and highlights an urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures such as multi-factor authentication and encryption.
- Up to 100 GB of sensitive data were exposed.
- Critical services in health record-keeping were interrupted due to this breach.
- A refusal by governmental bodies or organizations like the Florida Department Of Health can lead hackers toward desperate actions that compromise individuals' privacy at large scales when negotiating with malicious actors fails.
- This alarming occurrence shows how essential it is for government entities across sectors globally—especially those handling sensitive medical/identity-related info—to invest significantly into updated & effective anti-ransomware tools/procedures while maintaining contingency plans against potential breaches indefinitely going forward.
