Mysterious cyberattack cripples Czech hospital amid COVID-19 outbreak

A cyberattack hits the second-biggest hospital in Czech Republic in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak last Friday. The incident was confirmed by the Czech National Office for Cyber and Information Security (NÚKIB), which is working alongside police and hospital staff to recover from the damages and secure their network.

The report doesn”t detail the nature of the attack on the University Hospital Brno, but the medical care facility was required to shut down its IT network.

In a statement to Czech media, the hospital director said some systems were still working, but the ability to transfer information between its facility systems and database was compromised.

Medical staff was taken by storm, forced to delay scheduled surgeries and transfer some patients to a nearby hospital. The attack was made more severe due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, and local authorities are working around the clock to get the systems back online. The hospital is also a one of the country”s largest Coronavirus testing laboratories, and the recent cyberattack may have disrupted its testing capabilities.

We”re once again emphasizing the ruthlessness of cybercriminals who try to capitalize on the public health crisis. The opportunistic nature of threat actors proves that no one is spared from their schemes, and not even the backdrop of this crisis is stopping them.

This unprecedented global event has also laid its mark on the evolving threat landscape, and other health institutions and hospitals should raise their awareness following this troublesome event.

Locking down a hospital”s IT infrastructure due to a cyberattack can only postpone medical care or further burden the doctors and nurses on the front lines fighting the disease.

Here at Bitdefender we focus on keeping your devices protected from malicious activity and threats of all kinds. Now more than ever, you need autonomy and safety as you reach the world via your internet-enabled devices. That”s why we have extended the trial for our best security suite, ensuring that you can take care of your family”s devices for up to 90 days. If you”re already set up, why not make an unexpected gift to your loved ones who might not be aware of emerging cyber threats?