Just when you thought it could not get any worse… it did. Criminal hackers are now demanding that all the patients of Florida provider Richard Davis, MD pay a ransom to prevent the release of their personal information following a breach of the clinic’s server.

HealthITSecurity had the scoop, and Jessica David reported: “January 10, 2020 – Current and former patients of Richard Davis, MD, who operates The Center for Facial Restoration, have received ransom demands from a cybercriminal who hacked the clinic’s server, [..] this is one of the first reported incidents where the hackers targeted the patients, rather than just the provider.

In a letter to patients, Davis reportedly received a letter from hackers who claimed they had breached the clinic’s servers and obtained the complete medical records of patients, which could be used to publicly exploit patients or be traded to third parties.

The hackers demanded a ransom payment from Davis and by November 29, about 15 to 20 patients reported to the clinic that they also received individual extortion attempts from the hackers “threatening the public release of their photos and personal information unless unspecified ransom demands are negotiated and met.”

Davis said: “I deeply regret that individuals currently or formally under my care have been victimized by this criminal act, and I urge you to monitor your financial information closely,” he added. “I am sickened by this unlawful and self-serving intrusion, and I am truly very sorry for your involvement in this senseless and malicious act.”

Full Story at HealthITSecurity: https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hackers-demand-ransom-from-patients-after-breaching-florida-clinic

** Optrics Inc. is an Authorized KnowBe4 partner

Find out how affordable new-school security awareness training is for your organization. Get a quote now.

The original article can be found here:

https://blog.knowbe4.com/new-ransomware-threat-now-cyber-criminals-demand-ransom-from-the-patients-after-a-plastic-surgery-clinic-data-breach