In the first of its kind cyber threat, a group of hackers from a Russian hacking group have threatened to shut down the operations of ventilators across hospitals in the UK. The hacking group’s name is Killnet and is demanding the release of a hacker arrested in London by the authorities representing the Romanian Government, recently.
Going deep into the details, a hacker was arrested in London on Monday this week and the 23-year-old was taken into custody for hacking government websites in Czech & Romania and posting digital material against Ukraine that is now being pounded by the Russian invasion.
Five Eyes, an alliance formed by 5 countries- Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and the USA to fight cyber threats occurring on an international note have linked Killnet Hacking Group to Kremlin.
Interestingly, Killnet has posted a message on Telegram that it will only wait for 48 hours after their warning and will launch a cyberwar on hospital equipment that could lead to hundreds and thousands of patient deaths across Romania, Moldova, and Romania.
The Ministry of Health, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has reportedly taken the threat seriously and has asked the officials to take measures to mitigate any risks associated with the threat.
Parallel, the government of the UK has also asked the NCSC, the cyber arm of GCHQ, to dig deep into the threat and track down those linked to Killnet to make immediate arrests.
Shutting down ventilators or life support systems in hospitals is a deadly crime and perhaps it is time for the governments on an international level to react to such news with a lot of seriousness, caution, and a bit of an authoritative attitude.
