FBI director called the incident  “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I have ever seen”.

 

Hackers sponsored by the Iranian government last year attempted a “despicable” cyber attack against Boston Children’s Hospital that threatened to disrupt services to patients, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday.

Mr. Wray, in a speech delivered at a conference hosted by Boston College, detailed the incident as he warned about the rising threat cyber attacks sponsored by nation states like Iran, Russia and China pose to companies and U.S. infrastructure.

We got a report from one of our intelligence partners indicating Boston Children’s was about to be targeted, and understanding the urgency of the situation, the cyber squad in our Boston field office raced out to notify the hospital, Mr. Wray said.

The FBI said it contacted the hospital in August 2021, and Mr. Wray said officials were able to quickly get the nationally renowned children’s hospital the information it needed to “stop the danger right away” and mitigate the threat.


"One of the most despicable cyberattacks I have ever seen”.

Mr. Wray in March said that Iranian-sponsored hackers had in June 2021 compromised an unnamed children’s hospital.

Boston Children’s Hospital, a 395-bed facility, in a statement confirmed that FBI and its staff had “proactively thwarted the threat to our network.”

Mr. Wray called the incident “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I have ever seen” and an example of the increasing risks hospitals and other providers of critical infrastructure face from hackers, including state-sponsored ones.