Cybersecurity incident at SickKids hospital

Posted date 09/01/2023

SickKids, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, was the victim of a ransomware-type cyber-attack allegedly by the LockBit group. Although the attack only encrypted a few systems, SickKids said the incident caused delays in receiving lab and imaging results, as well as prolonged waiting times for patients.

Two days after the hospital's last communication, the LockBit group responsible for the incident apologised for the attack on the hospital and released a free decryptor to retrieve the data, attributing authorship to a partner who broke rules against attacking institutions where damage to files could lead to death.