AIIMS Detects And Thwarts Malware Attack On Its Systems

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Twitter confirmed that it had detected a malware attack on its systems. The government-run hospital further assured the public that the attack had been successfully thwarted by its robust cybersecurity systems.

The Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, through a tweet said that there had been no cyber incident or breach of the hospital's systems. He clarified that the E-Hospital application, an internal system not accessible to internet users, might have been targeted. It was suggested that an individual had possibly attempted to access this portal, triggering a security alert. The person then took a screenshot of the error message and circulated it. Chandrasekhar stated that the error messages had been rectified, indicating that the situation had been resolved.

This incident follows a previous cyberattack on AIIMS, which occurred approximately six months ago. During that attack, the hospital's online systems were rendered unavailable for nearly a month. The attack was initially detected on 23 November and lasted for 22 days until 15 December. AIIMS managed to restore most of its systems, including online booking and patient registration, by the end of the incident.

The recent malware attack on AIIMS serves as a reminder of the ongoing threats faced by critical institutions. It underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard sensitive medical data and ensure the uninterrupted functioning of essential healthcare services.