Hackers are increasingly targeting hospitals, using viruses to lock their computer systems and hold sensitive medical data and other files hostage, according to a doctor in Great Britain.
The computer viruses that lock the files are called ransomware. These attacks prevent hospitals from accessing the data stored on their computers until they pay a ransom, explained Dr. Krishna Chinthapalli. He’s a neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.
