Defence and strategy

The Case of the Benešov Hospital Hit by Ryuk Ransomware, and Lessons Learned

Ondřej FILIPEC, David PLÁŠIL

This article is dealing mainly with cybersecurity of healthcare with a special emphasis on the Benešov hospital (Czech Republic), which was hit by the Ryuk ransomware virus. The case shows that even a well-managed middle-size hospital with a relatively good level of cybersecurity might be significantly hit by the attack. The article first explores the general context of cybersecurity of healthcare with reference to the forms of cyber-attacks involving ransomware and then explores the case of the Benešov hospital (Hospital of Rudolf and Stefanie). The main aim of this article is to derive lessons learned from the case, which might be well used for the management of further incidents of similar nature, which is increasingly important at the times of fight with COVID-19 infection creating new pressure on the system.