Several cyberattack attempts targeting Israeli hospitals and health centers were identified and thwarted over the weekend, the National Cyber Directorate and Health Ministry said on Sunday.
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"Early warnings and a rapid response from management and field staff made it possible to stop the attempts, no damage was caused," the two said in a joint statement said.
The National Cyber Directorate has carried out various actions in recent days in order to strengthen "the level of [cyber] protection by identifying possible vulnerabilities."
The incidents come as Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera was hit by a major ransomware attack last week, crippling computer systems.
According to the press release, the ministry and the National Directorate are still hard at work to restore the establishment's systems, "gradually, safely, and as quickly as possible."
Some non-urgent procedures had to be canceled at the medical center, but most of the hospital's work is continuing, through alternative computer systems and manually.
The Israel Police's Cyber Crimes Unit is also investigating the cyberattack on Hillel Yaffe and according to sources privy to the issue, the investigation – placed under a gag order – involves foreign law enforcement agencies.
Elik Etzion, VP of cybersecurity firm Cynerio, said that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cyberattacks of healthcare institutions over the past two years.
Citing data by Bitglass, Etzion said that in 2020, "cyberattacks on the medical centers rose by 55% in the United States alone, compromising the medical privacy of 26 million people."
He added that according to IBM data, the financial implications of cyberattacks on the healthcare sector were higher and more serious than on the financial sector.
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