GIGN, an elite cyber force set up by French National Gendarmerie, has lowered the ransom demanded by hackers to free up data on the database of a Paris Hospital. CHSF Hospital Centre in Corbeil-Essonnes is the healthcare service provider in discussion whose servers storing imaging and patient data were locked up by encryption.
As per a report published in Parisien Newspaper, the hackers demanded $10 million to release a decryption key, but lowered the sum to $1 million after negotiations by the members of Gendarmerie.
Interestingly, the hospital authorities have disclosed that they will not pay any ransom to the cyber criminals and will instead recover data from a backup plan.
Then why did the negotiators involve in lowering the ransom is the big question?
Hospital authorities suggest that LockBit ransomware hackers were involved in the incident and the negotiations were being conducted to gain time to track down the criminals.
Reports are in that over 500 patients, including 13 children, were diverted to other hospitals because of the digital disruption.
Pharmacy-related data and test reports are being burned onto disk drives for sharing and some staff are seen, using pen and paper to make a note of prescriptions and details of patient treatment.
NOTE- GIGN is a tactical force of France that deals with issues such as counterterrorism, surveillance on national threats, the rescue of hostages, protection of government people and properties and cybercrime. This unit was established in 1974 and gained publicity when it played an extensive role in recusing hijacked passengers on Air France Flight at Marsellie Marignane Airport in Dec’94.
