Hackers sometimes have scruples.
The Lockbit group officially apologized on December 31, 2022 after the cyberattack that targeted SickKids, a children's hospital located in Toronto (Canada), reports
Numerama
.
The ransomware attack took place on December 18.
"The partner who attacked this property broke our rules, is blocked, and is no longer part of our affiliate program," Lockbit said.
The hacking organization also helped the hospital recover after the attack, by providing a decryption key for the stolen data.
Individual responsibility
“Nearly 50% of priority systems” have been restored, the hospital announced in a press release on December 29.
“Patients and families should nonetheless be prepared for possible delays, as work continues to bring all systems back online.
»
In this case, Lockbit took no responsibility.
The group indeed rents software to hackers, who themselves launch the attacks against the targets they wish.
Lockbit receives in exchange a commission on the income from these attacks, when they end with the payment of a ransom.
This commission is around 20%.
A variable-geometry ethics charter
To rent the famous software, Lockbit affiliates must respect a charter.
“It is prohibited to encrypt institutions where damage to files could lead to death, such as heart centers, neurosurgery departments, maternity hospitals and others,” it states.
However, the rule is appreciated in a variable way.
Indeed, it was Lockbit ransomware that enabled the Corbeil-Essonnes hospital cyberattack in August 2022, notes
Numerama
.
This charter is also not respected by all the hackers in the world.
The group Vice Society had no qualms about attacking the French maternity hospital system in October.
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