WIZARD SPIDER: Lethally Poisonous Ransomware: Teaching Notes
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Authors
Sipper, Joshua
Issue Date
2025
Type
Other
Language
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Ransomware has become the cyberattack of choice for many criminal hackers due to its relative low-tech/high-yield character. This is seen across private, government, and personal data stores as cyber criminals use ransomware to “datanap” information stored on personal computers and devices, servers, and even cloud stores, then demanding payment for the encryption key to unlock and restore the valuable data. Nowhere has this been more effective than in the healthcare industry where hospitals and clinics are responsible for and dependent on the data and also liable for any harm that may come to patients physically. This is not to mention the fact that if patient personally identifiable information (PII) or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HI-PAA) medical data were to be kept and spread or used by the hackers, more consequences would cascade. A ransomware attack on the Druid City Hospital (DCH) Healthcare System in October of 2019 is a prime example of the consequences and ramifications of medical and patient data being held captive. In this case study, the attack itself will be recounted, issues and dilemmas will be characterized, and the implications of this attack will be discussed.