Los Angeles County health department computers targeted with ransomware

The Los Angeles Country Department of Health’s computers were recently the target of a cyberattack, but its operations were not affected. The department found ransomware—malware that locks access to files until a ransom is paid—on five of its computers.

The department did not pay a ransom because access to its files was not cutoff and the ransomware did not spread to any other computers. The department did report the incident to the county district attorney’s office and chief information office.

Last month, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid hackers a $17,000 ransom after its computer system was infected by malware that encrypted its files. After paying the ransom, the hospital received a decryption key that unlocked the files.

Source: Los Angeles Times