Hackers Demand Ransom To Keep Medical Records Private

Medical-data blackmail is becoming more common as more health care providers adopt electronic health records systems and store patient data digitally.  This Bloomberg technology blog story describes some of the larger incidents where medical data has been held for ransom by hackers or even unpaid, disgruntled subcontractors.

In particular, the story provides the details of a recent breach of a small Libertyville, Illinois medical practice's server by bold hackers who gained access to patient data contained in stored emails and electronic medical records.  The hackers encrypted and password-protected the files they accessed, and then posted a ransom note on the server demanding payment from the medical practice in exchange for the password to unlock the encrypted files.  Rather than comply with the ransom demand, the small medical practice shut down the compromised server and called police.