The recent ransomware attack on the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, if nothing else, shed light on a growingly significant topic: the role of human error in health data security. The bad news is we will not be observing an end to this kind of cybercrime anytime soon.
The similar week the Hollywood Presbyterian attack was making headlines around the globe, another species of ransomware – aptly named "Locky" – was 1st analyzed in the wild.
It is a straightforward virus, delivered through an email attachment disguised as a Microsoft Word invoice. It preys on human instincts, inquiring consumers to enable macros that, once installed, encrypt valuable files, holding them hostage.
The email subject line reads: "Please view the attached invoice and remit payment in accordance to the terms listed at the bottom of the invoice."
The document, when opened, appears garbled. It guides consumers to activate macros to make the text readable. Once that happens, the malware executes.
Locky makes a lock screen that displays a timer notifying the consumer of how much time is left until the ransom must be paid and describes that, however the computer is still usable, the files are encrypted, claims Kevin Epstein, vice president of the Threat Operations Center at Proofpoint, a cybersecurity company. The user also cannot determine which files are impacted.
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