Black Basta Ransomware Attack Brought Down Ascension Systems: Report
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Contributed by: Drex DeFord
Summary
The Russia-linked ransomware group Black Basta has intensified its cyberattacks on the healthcare sector, with the St. Louis-based Ascension health system being one of its latest victims. Health-ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center) issued an alert highlighting the group's recent surge in attacks against healthcare providers. Ascension suffered a cybersecurity incident, disrupting its clinical operations and leading to the temporary suspension of some elective procedures. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had previously alerted about Black Basta, known for its double extortion tactics involving data exfiltration and ransom demands. Reports indicate that Black Basta has extorted over $100 million from various organizations in less than two years. The HHS suggests Black Basta's sophisticated operation may indicate ties to other Russian-speaking cybercrime groups or a rebranding of such entities.
