FBI Thwarts Attack From Iranian Hackers on Boston Children’s Hospital
The Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) said that Iranian state-sponsored hackers were behind an attack on the Boston’s Children Hospital. The FBI said on Wednesday that they thwarted a planned cyberattack against the Boston Children’s Hospital.
Christopher Wray, the FBI chief said that the attempted attack was “one of the most despicable cyberattacks” he has ever seen. He said in a speech delivered at a conference hosted by Boston College, “We got a report from one our intelligence partners indicating Boston Children’s was about to be targeted, and understanding the urgency of the situation, the cyber squad in our Boston field office raced out to notify the hospital.”
The FBI said it contacted the hospital’s team during the summer of 2021 and gave them all the information they needed to stop the danger and mitigate the threat. Wray said “Quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital protected both the network and the sick kids who depend on it.”
In March, Christopher Wray said Iranian state-sponsored hackers launched cyberattacks at a children’s hospital in June 2021 but he didn’t reveal the name of the hospital. He said about the attacks “If malicious cyber actors are going to cause destruction or hold data and systems for ransom, they tend to ht us somewhere that is going to hurt.”
He said that the FBI and Boston Children’s Hospital had worked closely together to thwart the threat to their network. In 2014, Martin Gottesfeld, known to be part of a hacker’s group named Anonymous was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2019 for launching cyberattacks on the Boston Children’s Hospital. The attack disrupted the operations of the hospital for days and cost them thousands of dollars to repair damages.
Wray did not reveal the particular motive behind the Boston Children’s Hospital cyberattack that happened in 2021 but he detailed incidents of cyberattacks the U.S faces from countries such as Iran, Russia, China and North Korea. He said at the conference”We cannot let up on China and Iran or criminal syndicates while we’re focused on Russia.”
He urged everyone to report any suspected cyber intrusions and also said organizations should partner or have existing relationships with FBI agencies to have a quick response plan to these incidents. He stated at the conference, that the goal of the FBI is to make sure Americans, business partners and families are able to use the cyberspace safely and securely and they are relying on every individual’s support.
