Cyberattacks on hospitals are likely to increase, putting lives at risk, experts warn

Lurie Children's Hospital sign is seen at the hospital as patients walk in, Feb. 5, 2024, in Skokie, Ill. A cyberattack on a renowned children’s hospital in Chicago has left some parents scrambling. They've had to reschedule surgeries on babies or scramble to get prescriptions filled for their sick kids. Experts warn this is just the start of a growing trend of foreign criminals attacking US hospitals for hefty ransoms. — AP

WASHINGTON: Cybersecurity experts are warning that hospitals around the US are at risk for attacks like the one that is crippling operations at a premier Midwestern children’s hospital, and that the US government is doing too little prevent such breaches.

Hospitals in recent years have shifted their use of online technology to support everything from telehealth to medical devices to patient records. Today, they are a favourite target for Internet thieves who hold systems’ data and networks hostage for hefty ransoms, said John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s cybersecurity adviser.