The Federal Bureau of Investigations has alleged hackers from Iran were responsible for hacking the Boston Children’s Hospital computer network last June.
According to a June 1 CNN report, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the act was “one of the most despicable cyberattacks” he had ever seen.
“We cannot let up on China or Iran or criminal syndicates while we’re focused on Russia,” Wray said, According to CNN, adding that hacking from the governments of Iran, Russia, China and North Korea remain a threat.
FBI Boston Field Office Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said the FBI received a tip about Iranian-backed hackers from “a valued partner within the intelligence community,” according to CNN. He said no ransomware was used, and they were able to catch it in time thanks to the cooperation between the FBI and the hospital staff. U.S. officials said the hackers used software made by Fortinet, a California-based company, to control the computer network at the hospital.
“It’s possible Iran aimed to disrupt and harass U.S. targets in a manner similar to what they have been doing in Israel,” John Hultquist, vice president of Mandiant Intelligence, told DOJ Newswire. “Iranian actors are using criminal methods like ransomware and data leaking to target vulnerable populations in targeted countries. This incident is similar in many respects to an intrusion which targeted an app used by the LGBTQ community in Israel. These methods allow Iran to carry out regular cyberattacks under the façade of normalized criminal activity.”
Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations spokesperson Shahrokh Nazemi denied the allegations calling them “baseless,” according to the CNN report. The report added Boston Children’s Hospital was one of several that led to a public warning last fall from the FBI that Iranian hackers were targeting organizations nationwide in healthcare and transportation.
