Cyberattack forces US health care network to divert ambulances from hospitals

36 points by arkadiyt 1 year ago | 16 comments
  • labrador 1 year ago
    Since there are state actors attemting to sow public disorder in the U.S. it seems increasingly like a bad idea to have hosptital networks and the like on public networks accessible from around the globe.
    • blackeyeblitzar 1 year ago
      If these are state actors, then the US state needs to grow a backbone and treat these as an actual act of war. China, Russia, and the like need to face serious consequences or they will only go further.
      • salad-tycoon 1 year ago
        Many of us would like to not get blown up and to not blow up other random strangers.

        It’s easy to say an eye for an eye but I think if you’ve seen enough shell shock / ptsd the taste for war becomes bitter, although in the pre conception/ fantasy phase the taste is powerfully sweet and titillating.

        Also, things tend to accelerate as they get towards the end. So Oceania does X to us, we have to do x+y, then they do x+y+z and on and on as overt escalation is normalized.

        Serious consequences swings both ways. Maybe, just maybe, there could be another way rather than getting shaken up and angry.

        I don’t want my kids at the bottom of a ruble heap. I don’t won’t yours there either.

        • libertine 1 year ago
          So your suggestion is to shrug it off, and allow this behavior to continue.

          Like what happened with flight MH17, where Russia killed 300 people, just send a very tough letter.

          • billy99k 1 year ago
            This type of thinking allows evil people to continue to inflict irreversible damage. It also sends out the signal that terrorism works.
            • ethanwillis 1 year ago
              I think it's easy to say this when you're not needing healthcare and another nation state has made your local hospital unusable.

              edit: and parent comment never said consequences would be war.

              • nitwit005 1 year ago
                It's meaningless to say you don't like violence when you can't suggest an alternative.
              • jart 1 year ago
                The U.S. doesn't even consider it a crime. Read https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/foreign-malicious-cybe... and notice how the USG only cares if the hackers are acting under the direction of a foreign government. These days ransomware is about as illegal as corporate raiding and short selling.
                • nradov 1 year ago
                  Official US government statement: "When warranted, we will respond to hostile attacks in cyberspace as we would to any other threat to our country. We reserve the right to use all necessary means - diplomatic, informational, military and economic - to defend our nation, our allies, our partners and our interests."

                  https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7AF02Y/

                  The problem is attribution. If a cyber attack is traced to an IP address in Russia it's almost impossible to know for certain that it was really sponsored by the Russian government. It could have been some random kid in Australia who pwned a vulnerable computer in Russia and used it to launch an attack for the lulz.

                  Since deterrence is ineffective for cyber defense we need to put our focus into hardening critical systems.

                  • holonsphere 1 year ago
                    The problem isnt attribution. NSA cybersecurity professionals are groomed before theyre even in the agency. First at their respective governor's school, then through college, and then throughout their career once theyve been picked up.

                    Genius is a tightly controlled commodity.

                    The problem in my eyes is recognition.

                    I believe the US government has the ability to stop these attacks but instead chooses not to up until a certain point. You learn a lot running honeypots and attacking every machine in existence when you run with a community.

                    The US has been stockpiling "weaponized" software payloads for over two decades. Defensive actions would only serve as an opportunity for foreign actors to improve their own skills as well as highlight where our actual strengths/weaknesses might be.

                    It seems to me like the culture at most 3 letter agencies is one where theyre content to watch the world/country burn for as long as certain "red lines" arent crossed.

                • 1 year ago
                • horns4lyfe 1 year ago
                  Maybe we could stop outsourcing all our IT infrastructure? Naw, the CEO needs a new boat
                  • sgt_bilko 1 year ago
                    Make proper DMZs. Control access to sensitive servers. Make proper backups. And test those backups. Anything less is reckless and should be punished.