As hospitals cope with a COVID-19 surge, cyber threats loom

By MARION RENAULT and WILSON RING Associated Press
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Vermont hospital network is still recovering from a massive digital disruption in October, signaling the dangers of cyberattacks on the nation’s health care system during a surge of COVID-19. The same day as the Oct. 28 attack, the FBI had warned of an incoming wave of criminal digital cyber threats to U.S. hospitals and providers. Experts say the pandemic has left health care organizations vulnerable to ransomware attacks that cut off access to health records and other technical infrastructure. Such attacks could complicate or disrupt patient care during a critical period as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations surge across the country.