Red Cross calls for governments to help stop health care hacks during pandemic
Hackers are making the coronavirus pandemic worse by endangering lives with cyberattacks, the Red Cross and several prominent tech companies and former world leaders warned in a letter published on Tuesday.
The COVID-19 outbreak has caused an uptick in cyberattacks, including hacks against hospitals and groups like the World Health Organization. In April, the WHO reported a fivefold increase in cyberattacks since the start of the pandemic. Criminals have been targeting hospitals with ransomware in hacks that lock up computers unless victims pay to get them released.
"Over the past weeks, we have witnessed attacks that have targeted medical facilities and organizations on the front line of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic," the letter states. "These actions have endangered human lives by impairing the ability of these critical institutions to function, slowing down the distribution of essential supplies and information, and disrupting the delivery of care to patients."
The letter includes signatures from the International Committee of the Red Cross' president, Peter Maurer; Microsoft president Brad Smith; Eugene Kaspersky, president of cybersecurity company Kaspersky; and world leaders including the former presidents of Mexico, Uruguay, Liberia, Slovenia, Brazil and Poland.
https://www.cnet.com/news/red-cross-calls-for-governments-to-help-stop-healthcare-hacks-during-pandemic/?ftag=CAD-04-10abi6g&bhid=24447454298893839703959737945916&mid=12851034&cid=534320049
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