The cyber attack by the LockBit group on Capital Health Hospital.

On November 23, 2023, Capital Health Hospital experienced a cybersecurity incident, causing disruption to its network. The discovery revealed that the LockBit hacker group was responsible for a cyber attack on Capital Health Hospital, putting the medical data of many patients at risk.

The LockBit hacker group has admitted to orchestrating the cyber attack on the information technology systems of Capital Health in the United States. Using the LockBit ransomware version 3, the group targeted this healthcare organization, which manages several hospitals and clinics in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

How much is the medical data of patients worth?

While Capital Health has announced that the recovery process for the affected systems is complete and investigations into the possibility of incorrect data continue, LockBit, on its information disclosure site, stated that it would expose 7 terabytes of medical data on January 9 if its demands for $250,000 are not met.

Following the LockBit cyber attack on Capital Health Hospital, the LockBit group stated on its information disclosure site, “We haven’t encrypted most of this hospital’s information to avoid interfering with patient care. We have only stolen over 10 million files.”

Even without encryption, the LockBit cyber attack on Capital Health Hospital led to network disruptions. Capital Health has stated that it is currently collaborating with a forensic research company to assess the risks associated with patient and employee data and provide further information.

Serial Attacks by the LockBit Hacker Group

The Capital Health incident was one of several incidents that occurred in healthcare organizations in the United States during the holiday season. Ardent Health Services, which operates 30 hospitals and 200 care centers in six states, recently announced that it was targeted by a ransomware attack on Thanksgiving, November 23.

Healthcare organizations have been a prime target for LockBit, as it has previously infiltrated Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in New York, the SickKids hospital in Toronto, and targeted Katholische Hospitalvereinigung Ostwestfalen in Germany.