News Russian hackers claim Japanese hospital paid ransom

The town of Tsurugi, Tokushima Prefecture, which runs the targeted Handa Hospital, has denied paying ransom money, and experts suspect that an IT firm involved in attempts to restore access to the records secretly reached a deal with the hackers. Japanese police have been urging those targeted in ransomware attacks to not pay money demanded of them. A senior member of the hacker group, LockBit 3.0, said it received a bitcoin payment on Nov. 21 last year after holding talks with a representative of the hospital via a special website. The group originally demanded $60,000 but the amount was negotiated down to half that amount, the person said. Shigeru Kanenishi, the mayor of Tsurugi, said, "As we understand it, the town has not paid ransom money." The town paid 70 million yen ($472,000) to an IT firm in Tokyo to probe the attack and attempt to restore the encrypted data. The firm has declined to comment on the case, citing a confidentiality agreement, but it said it generally does not directly negotiate with hacker groups. It may use data restoration programs if they can be obtained, it said.

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Russian hackers say Japan hospital paid $30,000 in ransomware attack

A Russia-based hacker group has claimed a Japanese hospital paid $30,000 to regain access to electronic medical records that were encrypted in a ransomware attack last October, causing major disruption to the medical institution's operations.

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