Recently a Wisconsin-based IT company that manages data backup, security, data hosting, and access management to more than 100 nursing home and dental offices across the United States has been hit by a ransomware attack.
Virtual Care Provider Inc. provides data storage and security to 45 states and more than 80,000 computers. On Nov 17, an unknown attacker executes ransomware named Ryuk inside the VCPI database and encrypted all their files and data of their clients and demanded $14 million ransom for giving the key for the ransomware.
Ryuk ransomware operating since August 2018, targeting large organizations it has been operating by an eCrime group WIZARD SPIDER.
Vice chief executive and the owner Karen Christianson said that attack has almost affected all their core data including their emails and phone systems.
We’ve got some facilities where the nurses can’t get the drugs updated and the order put in so the drugs can arrive on time, In another case, we have this one small assisted living place that is just a single unit that connects to billing. And if they don’t get their billing into Medicaid by December 5, they close their doors. Seniors that don’t have family to go to are then done. We have a lot of clients right now who are like, ‘Just give me my data,’ but we can’t.
Christianson owner
Christianson said that afford the ransom amount being demanded that is roughly around $14 million in Bitcoin currency and also said some clients will soon be in danger to close their journey if they were not able to afford the ransom.
