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A Massive Ransomware Attack Is About to Hit U.S. Hospitals, FBI Warns

The ransomware is known as Ryuk, and the hackers are believed to be Russian criminal organizations.

The United States health-care system is about to be hit with a series of powerful cyberattacks, the FBI warned Wednesday as cases of the new coronavirus spike around the country. The bureau announced in a press conference that agents had received “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” Ransomware attacks typically bar a computer’s owner from accessing their own files until they pay hackers, in this case believed to be Russian criminal organizations. The virulent strain of malware federal agents and researchers are currently tracking is known as Ryuk. Cybersecurity experts say the incursions have already adversely affected five hospitals this week, including three in New York and Oregon, and they warned that more attacks are coming.