Another Healthcare Firm Falls Victim to GandCrab Ransomware

April 28, 2019
by Julia Sowells
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GandCrab ransomware was first introduced in early 2018 and it is an infamous family of cryptovirus. It has this dubious distinction as one of the most destructive cyber infections, and within a year, it has created enough furor.

The ransomware has been using an array of various distribution methods, including cracks, keygens RIG, GradSoft, and Fallout exploit kits. Bitdefender research team has termed it as one of the most devastating malware in recent times.

Cybercriminals have developed a taste for healthcare institutions, and it has recently hit the Doctors’ Management Service which fell victim to GandCrab ransomware. It infected their systems by injecting code designed to steal data for future fraud operations.

You may have not heard of DMS (Doctors’ Management Service). It’s a medical billing service headquartered in Massachusetts that provides medical billing services to physicians and hospitals. Your hospital or physician might have provided them with your health information if your doctor or hospital contracts with them.

According to the DMS notice the breach, occurred in April of 2017. The organization realized the breach in December last year when the attackers via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) placed ransomware on their vulnerable workstation. An investigation later revealed the most notorious ransomware deployed GandCrab.

DMS declined to pay the ransom as demanded by the GrandGrap operators and recovered its data from backup. The organization is not sure if the attackers have accessed the backup information, but to be on the safe side, they notified everyone who may have been affected. If the attackers are also in possession of the data, it is obvious they will have sensitive diagnostic information, and other details like name, address, and date of birth, Social Security number, license number, insurance details, and other information.

The company has offered its clients a free credit monitoring service to those who have received DMS’s notice. Nevertheless, since credit monitoring isn’t tantamount with protection against fraud, affected parties are advised to carefully monitor their bank statements for any abnormalities. DMS has changed its network security system in order to restrict unauthorized access to its systems and to improve its network security.

Why this breach is serious is because almost 38 healthcare centers have been impacted, including Beverly Surgical Associates, Today’s Wellness PLLC, Thompson Medical Associates, New England Community Medical Services, Neuro Institute of New England, and more.