Live data from Hacker News

FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

krebsonsecurity.com

331–340 of 357 posts

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this just pedantry? I'm making room for an interpretation, that's all. Hospitals are a special case. No reason to read any attitude into it. And no reason for a deliberately argumentative response.

Come on. I already posted a link showing that hospitals are not a special case, remember? That's so obvious to not merit discussion.

...showing one emotionally distraught person is not a planned attack on an entire hospital. Please.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To make matters even more complicated, even the anti-fascists (aka "antifa") have become the enemy too.

If only there were a word to describe the people who are anti-antifa.

Then two "anti"s cancel out, and you just call them "fa".

Pronounced like the Yiddish word Feh.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#333
post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming no competitor exist, which they do for many health insurance situations. There would be plenty of competitors to choose from if everyone was required to choose from healthcare.gov.

incompatible with 'already low margin' - this suggests that there isn't much more any competitor could do to offer lower prices. besides, i think the issue is the cost of the underlying procedures - doctors charge maximum what the insurance company will pay instead of what the patient would pay. there are plenty of stories where a patient is billed $100 but if they say they don't want it out of insurance the price dr…

The issue is the low supply of healthcare. The way to lower prices is to increase supply or decrease demand.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#334
post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if the insurance companies form a cartel (in the economic sense). People will switch carriers to ones with lower premiums so the market forces direct costs down to parity. Most costs are outside of insurer's control anyway, regulations prevent insurance companies from telling providers how to offer care as long as the care is medically necessary and the standard of care.

If both the insurance and the hospital earns money by raising the price we will get what we have today where insurance covered procedures are more expensive than none covered procedures.

Not if the supply of healthcare was increased (more doctors). Then they would be willing to sell their services for a lower price, and the insurance companies would be able to offer lower premiums, winning business from other insurance companies offering higher premiums.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NotPetya is a good example. Looked like a broad ransomware attack very similar to the earlier Petya attack. Turned out it was very likely a broad cover for a very narrow attack against Ukraine’s power grid during Russian invasion.

Say what you will about Russia, but I don't believe they'd attack hospitals dealing with COVID in the middle of the pandemic as a cover for some kind of attack. I know anti-Russia propaganda is at its height now and I even admit it's weird watching how worked up Americans get about stuff they're been doing all around the world since WWII, but as bad as Russia might be, I don't really buy they're behind it.

I wasn’t commenting necessarily on this attack. Just saying the claim that ransomware attacks are purely financial is demonstrably untrue in at least one case.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To fix medical service affordability we need to bring down the cost of the services instead of expecting significantly more efficient insurance plans. We can’t insure away high costs. They just pass through the costs via premium and deductible increases. Even if health insurers were nonprofits that would only directly save us 5%. High deductibles encouraging shopping around but price discovery is very limited as even…

I agree. I believe that the government should definitely control health care and college costs, otherwise they're just attacking the symptoms.

The only way to control costs is to increase supply or decrease demand. If they want to lower health care costs, then increase the number of residency spots so there are more doctors...or reduce the requirements to becoming a doctor. Or make it so you don't need to see who went to school until 30 years old to get a simple antibiotic for routine conjunctivitis.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#337
post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good God no! I get where you're coming from but you've clearly not worked in this field. Heath Care IT is a disaster that was CREATED by regulation written in a different era of computing. The whole industry is terrified of making changes because of the multi-year hoops they're forced to jump through to release them; you don't flog a horse for stopping when you pull on the reins. The correct solution is to change the…

I don't think the OP was advocating for punishing the hospitals, but rather the ransomware authors.

I think there is fault on both sides. Can’t just punish the ransomware authors.

1) Security in healthcare is a shit show. If there are lots of open exploits, there needs to be a fast way for them to get fixed and the software vendors shamed on.

2) when someone discovers an exploit, they shouldn’t have to fight lawsuits. The response to security flaws should not be suppressing them but fixing them ASAP.

3) people shouldn’t have to lose lives to make a point that security is weak and you better pay up for disregarding it.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#338
post #8

This is not what we need in these final chapters of 2020 with COVID cases spiking. > Charles Carmakal, senior vice president for Mandiant, told Reuters that UNC1878 is one of most brazen, heartless, and disruptive threat actors he’s observed over the course of his career. This is what terrorism looks like in 2020. Horrifying, terrifying, disgusting.

Terrorism is almost, but probably not exactly the right word, but it's 'of that level of concern'.

If Hospitals nation-wide are under attack, it's a massive national security issue.

We need to figure out some kind of new way to secure general purpose devices - and also - there needs to be much more investment in thwarting and retaliating against these people.

If some random hackers and do this - imagine how badly and quickly a foreign state actor with deep pockets could shut things down.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#339
post #310
post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Attacking a hospital is a war crime, so how is it not terrorism?

Isn't terrorism trying to achieve a political goal through violence? Getting ransom money is just garden variety greed imo.

Terrorists often kidnap people and demand ransom, so I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

Re: FBI, DHS, HHS Warn of Imminent Ransomware Threat Against U.S. Hospitals

#340
post #8

This is not what we need in these final chapters of 2020 with COVID cases spiking. > Charles Carmakal, senior vice president for Mandiant, told Reuters that UNC1878 is one of most brazen, heartless, and disruptive threat actors he’s observed over the course of his career. This is what terrorism looks like in 2020. Horrifying, terrifying, disgusting.

>terrorism Isn't ransomware profit-motivated? I thought with terrorism the goal was fear rather than profit.

you can pretend you did it for the money... but just beacuse you get paid does not mean you are not terrorizing. What sort of logic are you using??
Post reply on HN