BlackCat ransomware gang targets Lehigh Valley Health Network, demands a ransom

Lehigh Valley Health Network, a Pennsylvania-based healthcare network, said the BlackCat ransomware group demanded a ransom payment after targeting its internal network on February 6.

In a recent statement, Dr. Brian Nester, President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network, confirmed that on February 6, LVHN detected unauthorised activity within its internal IT systems. LVHN immediately launched an internal investigation, with assistance from external cyber security firms and experts, to understand the scope and nature of the security incident.

LVHN confirmed that the cyber attack did not affect its daily operations, and the hospital network is performing its daily activities without any hindrance. Also, relevant law enforcement authorities were notified about the security incident.

“We are continuing to work with our experts to investigate the scope of the incident and as of today, we continue to operate normally,” LVHN said. It added that the initial attack was on “the network supporting one physician practice located in Lackawanna County”.

The healthcare network said the notorious BlackCat ransomware gang is responsible for the cyber attack. “BlackCat demanded a ransom payment, but LVHN refused to pay this criminal enterprise. We understand that BlackCat has targeted other organisations in the academic and healthcare sectors.”

LVHN confirmed that it is still working with experts to evaluate the information involved in the security incident and will soon notify affected individuals whose data may have been compromised.

According to a report published by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, the BlackCat ransomware gang is one of the most sophisticated ransomware operators targeting the U.S. health sector. First detected in November 2021, the BlackCat ransomware gang, AKA ALPHV, AlphaVM, Noberus, Coreid, FIN7, and Carbon Spider, has compromised at least 60 victims in four months.

Last month, the gang allegedly targeted Atlanta-based electronic health record vendor NextGen Healthcare and demanded a ransom of $1.5 million. The Department of Health and Human Services issued an advisory, warning healthcare organizations about BlackCat, calling it “a relatively new but highly-capable ransomware threat to the health sector.” It also advised healthcare organisations to boost their cyber security strategy to deal with the threats posed by BlackCat.