The hacker group demanding $380,000 in bitcoin has taken the medical information of the Royal Family
Individuals posing as hackers have demanded a ransom of 300,000 bitcoins ($380,000) from a member of the British royal family in exchange for releasing sensitive medical records, including X-rays, letters from consultants, clinical notes, and pathology reports.
The ‘Rhysida’ gang, so-called because of a kind of poisonous centipede, has reportedly threatened to share the stolen data from London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital unless it gets 10 bitcoins by Tuesday, according to the Daily Mail.
Prince Philip in 2021, Kate, Princess of Wales in 2012, and Queen Elizabeth II are just a few of the notable people who have been patients at the hospital during the last century.
The UK’s intelligence, security, and cyber agency, GCHQ, has said that it is “engaging with King Edward VII’s Hospital to understand the impact” and is now investigating the assault.
“There will be a degree of pressure on the hospital to try to stop any of this data from being released, given the highly sensitive nature of the patients,” said Philip Ingram, a former British colonel, according to the Daily Mail. The data may not even be retrieved; he goes on to say that it may be sold to other criminal organizations.
Also Read: A Trading Platform For Bitcoin And Ethereum Is Now Live At Brazil’s Biggest Bank