“It’s putting patients’ lives in danger,” said a nurse who works at Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, a 290-bed facility about 25 miles north of downtown Detroit. The health care sector reported 249 ransomware attacks to the FBI last year, more than any other sector, with some cases affecting patient records. And, perhaps more than any other sector, health care firms hold an enormous volume of sensitive data that is ripe for targeting and extortion schemes. The hack cut off health care providers from billions of dollars of revenue and snarled service at pharmacies across the US. (She said her firm had no specific insights into the Change Healthcare or Ascension ransomware attacks.)

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Persons: cyberattack, “, ”, cybercriminals, Mac Walker, Walker, ” Walker, Ascension’s, Ascension, Dina Carlisle, “ There’s, Andrew, ” Sezaneh Seymour, ” Bryan Vorndran, Vorndran Organizations: CNN, Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital, “, FBI, Biden, White House, Department of Health, Services, OPEIU, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Change Healthcare, UnitedHealth, Healthcare Locations: Detroit, Birmingham , Alabama, St, Louis, Rochester , Michigan, ” OPEIU