Cyber Crime
AIIMS Hospital Targeted: Cyber Attack Strikes India’s Premier Medical Institution
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), known as one of India’s premier government hospitals, faced a potential cyber attack on Tuesday, leading to a disruption in its server operations for nearly four hours. The health ministry and hospital authorities confirmed the incident, raising concerns about the security of sensitive patient data.
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, addressed the situation and denied any breach in the system. He explained that the hospital’s e-Hospital application, which experienced the disruption, is an internal tool not accessible to internet users.
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Chandrasekhar suggested that someone may have attempted to access the portal, triggering a security alert and subsequently circulating a screenshot of an error message. He emphasized that there was no cyber incident or breach and that the error messages had been resolved.
Doctors at AIIMS revealed that the e-Hospital server was affected from Tuesday afternoon, creating difficulties for staff members in accessing patient files, test reports, and other essential records. The sluggish server also impacted patient care, as the entire process of patient movement within the hospital experienced delays.
A resident doctor at AIIMS, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated, “Unlike the ransomware attack we experienced last year, we could open the server this time, but its performance was extremely slow. This slowdown had a direct impact on patient movement within the hospital because our entire system relies on digital processes. The hospital administration did not officially inform us about a possible cyber attack.”
Fortunately, due to the short duration of the server disruption, patient care was not significantly affected. However, some patients who were scheduled to collect their test reports experienced delays beyond the usual waiting times.
Malati Srikumar, whose father is receiving treatment at AIIMS’s surgery department, shared her experience, saying, “I was not aware of any cyber attack, but when I went to collect my father’s blood reports, the nurses at the counter asked me to come back tomorrow because their systems were not displaying the report status today.”
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Upon reaching out to the AIIMS administration for comment on the June 3 incident, the hospital’s spokesperson, Dr. Rima Dada, declined to provide details, stating, “We will not comment on the news of a paper leak until investigations are complete. We are looking into this.”
However, senior officials familiar with the matter revealed that a preliminary inquiry into the alleged paper leak incident suggested a possible attempt to hack into the hospital’s internal servers to gain access to the question paper in advance. The hospital has involved the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the allegations, as confirmed by a top official on Tuesday.
Regarding the connection between these two cases, the official stated, “We do not know if there is a connection between these two incidents. Cyber experts need to confirm this.”
Preventive Measures Suggested By Future Crime (FCRF) Researchers to Safeguard Against Cyber Attacks:
Regular Security Audits: Conduct regular audits of the hospital’s IT infrastructure and systems to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. This will help in proactively addressing potential security threats.
Robust Firewall and Intrusion Detection Systems: Implement a strong firewall and intrusion detection systems to monitor and filter network traffic, preventing unauthorized access and suspicious activities.
Employee Education and Training: Provide comprehensive cybersecurity training to all hospital staff members, including doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel. Educate them about best practices for data protection, password hygiene, and recognizing and reporting potential security threats.
Strong Access Controls: Implement strict access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive patient information. This includes using strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access control mechanisms.
Regular Software Updates and Patch Management: Keep all software and applications up to date with the latest security patches. Regularly update antivirus software and ensure that all systems are running on the latest versions to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Data Encryption: Encrypt sensitive patient data both at rest and in transit. This ensures that even if the data is intercepted or stolen, it remains unreadable and unusable without the encryption key.
Incident Response Plan: Develop a comprehensive incident response plan that outlines the steps to be taken in the event of a cyber attack. This includes procedures for containment, investigation, recovery, and communication with relevant authorities and stakeholders.
Regular Data Backup and Recovery: Maintain regular and secure backups of all critical patient data. Test the data recovery process periodically to ensure that backups are functioning correctly and can be relied upon in case of data loss or system disruption.
Vendor Risk Assessment: Conduct thorough assessments of third-party vendors and service providers that have access to the hospital’s systems and data. Ensure that they follow robust security practices and comply with relevant regulations.
Continuous Monitoring and Threat Intelligence: Deploy advanced monitoring tools and threat intelligence systems to detect and respond to potential cyber threats in real time. Implement a security information and event management (SIEM) system to centralize log data and analyze it for any suspicious activities.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Delhi’s AIIMS experienced a suspected cyber attack on Tuesday, impacting its servers for approximately four hours.
- The Union Minister denied a breach, attributing the incident to a misunderstanding and internal application security measures.
- The disruption caused difficulties for AIIMS staff in accessing patient records and delayed patient movement within the hospital.
- Patient care was minimally affected, but some patients experienced delays in accessing their test reports.
- The hospital administration declined to comment on the alleged paper leak incident until investigations are complete.
- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been engaged to look into the allegations and establish any potential connection between the incidents.
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