PGI alert after AIIMS ransomware attack

Chandigarh: After a ransomware attack in AIIMS hit the online patient system, PGI has started prepping up its online safety guards. Sources said that PGI officials would hold discussions with AIIMS authorities to ascertain what could be done to secure the system.

“We have already followed recommended security measures.

A state of art firewall (intrusion detection and prevention capabilities) with strict policies are already in place,” said an official spokesperson of PGI.

This is not the first time that the hospital’s data has been attacked by malware. In 2017, GMCH and GMSH-16 issued advisories to users when ransomware attacks were noted. CDAC Mohali had warned the national informatics system in March as it had captured a variant of the malware. At AIIMS recently, a cyber attack resulted in a server outage, affecting daily operations at the hospital, including appointments, patient registration, discharge and more.

“We take regular back-ups of data to ensure faster recovery of the system. Our servers are not directly exposed. The PC of internal users is generally taken, hostage. We have also initiated a cyber security awareness programme for users,” said the official spokesperson. Ransomware is malware that employs encryption to hold a victim’s information for ransom.  A ransom is then demanded to provide access. “We are going to install the best hardware with in-built, highly encrypted firewalls. But despite all this, there is no system which is foolproof,” said a faculty in PGI. PGI will record appointments, and patients’ records online.

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