Washington (AFP)

Ransomware computer attacks have infected more than 2,300 businesses, schools, hospitals and government agencies in 2020 in the United States alone, a professional report warns Tuesday that fears twice as many cases in 2021.

These cyber attacks using "ransomware" are feared because they introduce malicious software that blocks access to a site or computer until the victim sends a sum of money for a key to take back machine control.

According to an annual study by the computer security company Emsisoft, published in a blog on Tuesday, 113 public authorities or government institutions suffered these ransom demands in 2020, as in 2019. Counties in Pennsylvania or Oregon, for example, had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to recover their data.

"The fact that the government has not improved its security and remains so vulnerable is very worrying", worries the study which estimates at 913 million dollars the cost of these attacks on public agencies alone.

In the health sector, 560 establishments were targeted in 80 attacks last year.

The most widespread attack hit the Universal Health Services system, which operates 400 hospitals across the country.

“The impact of the attacks has been alarming: ambulances have been hijacked, treatments for cancer patients have been delayed, medical records have been temporarily inaccessible and in some cases permanently lost, while hundreds of staff have been laid off because of the disruptions, "recalls Emsisoft.

In some cases, sensitive information has been stolen and published on the internet.

Nearly 1,700 universities and schools were also the victims of these hacks in 84 attacks last year.

Among them, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) had to pay a ransom of $ 1.4 million to regain control of its data.

In the private sector, 1,300 companies were targeted.

In 2021, "ransomware" attacks will multiply, Emsisoft fears: "Unless important steps are taken, we expect 2021 to be a banner year for cybercriminals."

"Although the utility knows it is in the crosshairs of ransomware groups, statistics indicate little, if any, progress has been made in improving the security of the industry," the company still regrets. computer security.

"We expect there will be more cases of data theft in 2021, probably at least twice as many," the group said.

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