Tag Archive for: Ransomware

MercyOne employees share concerns about paychecks due to ransomware attack


MercyOne said it is addressing payroll issues that stemmed from a cyberattack.A ransomware attack on MercyOne’s former parent company CommonSpirit has taken its payroll software offline. Last week, MercyOne announced that employees would be paid on Oct. 21, but because of the outage, they would be paid their full-time equivalent plus the same amount of overtime hours as their previous paycheck.Because of this, some employees say they are not being paid incentive or overtime hours from that pay period. They said they are concerned about whether they will be paid for these hours.KCCI spoke with a MercyOne nurse who asked to remain anonymous.She said she is concerned about finances as a new month approaches. “Mortgages and rents are due. The closer we get, you know, the smaller our accounts are getting. I think everyone is starting to get a little nervous about it,” the nurse said.The next payday is Nov. 4. MercyOne says all overtime or missed hours will be paid on that day. In a statement to KCCI, MercyOne wrote:”At this time, most hospital-based systems are back online, as well as the payroll platform. CommonSpirit Health has worked to make sure that payroll dates were met and is committed to paying employees for every hour worked.”The nurse KCCI spoke with said employees want and need to trust the company will pay them what is owed. “We do really want to give Mercy the benefit of the doubt and say that they just don’t have all of the information. At least our direct managers are not getting all of the information; because we know it’s not their fault. They’re just giving the information to us as they’re getting it,” the nurse said.

MercyOne said it is addressing payroll issues that stemmed from a cyberattack.

A ransomware attack on MercyOne’s former parent company CommonSpirit has taken its payroll software offline.

Last week, MercyOne announced that employees would be paid on Oct. 21, but because of the outage, they would be paid their full-time equivalent plus the same amount of overtime hours as their previous paycheck.

Because of this, some employees say they are not being paid incentive or overtime hours from that pay…

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Ransomware attack hits Indianapolis Housing Agency’s Section 8 system


The Indianapolis Housing Agency, the federal agency responsible for providing housing to low-income tenants in the city, has been battling a cyber-attack for the past three weeks that’s compromised their entire information technology system.

The agency has not released details about the motive or identity of the individuals behind the ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software often unknowingly downloaded onto computers through methods such as innocuous email attachments. The software prevents users from accessing computer files and systems. It can result in massive disruptions and loss of information.

As the name suggests, ransomware attacks can involve demands for ransom payments in exchange for the system being restored.

Ransomware:What to do if you are hit by an attack

The ransomware attack delayed the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s ability to send out October rent payments to landlords for the federal housing choice voucher program, also known as Section 8, which 8,000 Indianapolis families depend on. Section 8 provides rental assistance to very low-income families, the elderly, and disabled individuals for housing on the private market, and the agency administers the program for Indianapolis.

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Video Expert calls ransomware 'the defining cyber scourge of our time' – ABC News



Video Expert calls ransomware ‘the defining cyber scourge of our time’  ABC News

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The long-term psychological effects of ransomware attacks


Northwave has conducted scientific research into the psychological effects of a ransomware crisis on both organizations and individuals. The findings reveal the deep marks that a ransomware crisis leaves on all those affected. It also shows how their IT and security teams can turn in disarray long after the crisis itself has passed.

psychological effects ransomware

Key findings on psychological effects of ransomware

“The research reveals how the psychological impact of ransomware attacks can persist on people in affected organizations for a very long time,” explains Organizational Psychologist Inge van der Beijl, Director Behaviour & Resilience at Northwave. “It shows that crisis team members may develop serious symptoms far later. Top management and HRM need to take measures against this, in fact right from the very beginning of the crisis. They are the ones bearing responsibility for the well-being of their staff.”

She continues: “We also discovered how teams haven fallen apart some time after the crisis, with members leaving or staying home on sick-leave. The study reveals that effects can linger throughout the organization. All in all the investigation shows that this invisible impact of a cyber crisis is an issue for the general business management, and certainly also for HRM.”

Northwave regards the response to a cyberattack as occurring in three phases. First comes the actual crisis situation, which evolves into an incident phase after about a week. A plan of action is then in place, and recovery measures are launched. The fire has been largely extinguished after a month or so, with the first (basic) functionalities available again.

Full recovery can take one to two years. Each phase has its specific effects on the minds and bodies of those involved, and by extension, on the organization or parts of it. “In average a company is down for three weeks following a malware attack,” notes Van der Beijl. “But it surprised us that the impact persists for so long afterwards. Psychological issues are still surfacing a year after the actual crisis.”

  • One of every seven employees involved in the attack, either directly or indirectly, exhibits severe enough symptoms several months later,…

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