October 4, 2021
Teiranni Kidd has filed a lawsuit against an Alabama hospital, claiming that the loss of monitoring technology led to the death of her baby when she was trying to give birth.
According to reports, Kidd’s baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which cuts off oxygen from the baby’s brain and causes the heart rate to drop. While this change can be seen on fetal heart rate monitors on large screens in the nurse’s station and also in the patent rooms, it became impossible to notice the changes as the hospital suffered a ransomware attack that led to the systems being shut down throughout the hospital, leading to the baby’s death nine months later.
According to Purandar Das, president and co-founder of the security firm Sotero, when cyber criminals attack organizations that offer intensive care solutions, they expect them to respond primarily to their will because of the catastrophic consequences of their actions.
He added: “What attackers don’t realize or don’t want to acknowledge is that even a minimal disruption could cause loss of critical care or even deaths. Public sentiment should cause stronger action against, not just the attackers, but also the countries that provide them safe harbor.”
For more information, read the original story in Tech Republic.
