German authorities have started an investigation into the death of a patient who could not be taken to hospital in Düsseldorf because of a ransomware attack. The patient may have died because the ambulance had to drive to another hospital, the German RTL reports.
German authorities have started an investigation into the death of a patient who could not be taken to hospital in Düsseldorf because of a ransomware attack. The patient may have died because the ambulance had to drive to another hospital, the German RTL reports.
The hospital in Düsseldorf was hit by ransomware last week, causing computer systems to malfunction for a long time. The hackers eventually released the hospital’s servers under pressure from the police, but this may have resulted in the death of a patient.
The patient had to go to the hospital in Düsseldorf by ambulance, but due to the technical problems in the hospital, the ambulance was diverted to the hospital in Wuppertal. As a result, the ambulance had to drive 30 kilometers and this may have fatal for the patient.
The ransomware also meant far fewer operations could be performed and the hospital admitted fewer patients. So far, no serious incidents seemed to have occurred as a result of the ransomware attack, but there may be a link in this patient that should be investigated now. It would be the first time that a ransomware attack would indirectly cause a death.
The ransomware encrypted thirty servers in the hospital and hackers demanded a ransom via a message they left on the servers. The message was addressed to the local university. The police then contacted the hackers and made it clear that it concerned the servers of a hospital and that patients were at increased risk. The hackers then released the servers.
