Reports indicate that the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical School paid cyber-hackers $1.14 million in bitcoin to retrieve data from a ransomware attack.
The ransomware group Netwalker encrypted data on UCSF’s servers which made the information inaccessible. The hackers asked for $3M for the decryption tool. Supposedly, the school negotiated with the group and reduced the ransom amount to $1.14 M. Once paid electronically through bitcoin, the decryption tool was provided and the data could be accessed. A statement on the UCSF website, which may be accessed by clicking here, indicates that patient data was not accessed.
This incident shows the importance of monitoring IT systems for intrusion and keeping updated with the latest cyber security information.