Germany: Russian track mentioned after cyberattack on hospital

DoppelPaymer software has already been used in many cyberattacks.

GETTY / Peter Cade

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The Cologne prosecutor spoke on Tuesday of a Russian track behind the computer attack suffered two weeks ago by a hospital in Düsseldorf.

These would be hackers whose goal is to extort money from their victims. 

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With our correspondent in Berlin,

DoppelPaymer.

This is the name of the ransomware used against Düsseldorf University Hospital two weeks ago.

This type of malware allows data to be encrypted and held hostage with the aim of forcing the targeted user to pay a ransom.

According to the Ministry of Justice of the North Rhine-Westphalia region and the Cologne prosecutor's office, the one used against the Düsseldorf hospital would have been used by a group of Russian hackers.

This cyberattack which had paralyzed the emergency room of the establishment could have led to the death of a patient.

Unable to be transported to Düsseldorf, the septuagenarian had to be taken to Wuppertal, further away where she died on arrival at the hospital.

An investigation for manslaughter has been opened.

The hackers were actually targeting the University of Düsseldorf, as shown in a sent message.

The police had informed them of their error and its dangers, they then transmitted a code to allow the computer system to function again. 

According to the Cologne public prosecutor's office, the DoppelPaymer software has already been used in many cases.

Other computer attacks have hit Germany in recent months. 

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• Germany

• Russia

• Cybercriminality