back to article Hospital info thief malware puts itself into a coma to avoid IT bods

A Trojan targeting US healthcare organizations attempts to avoid detection by going to sleep for prolonged periods after initial infection, security researchers warn. Symantec estimates that thousands of organizations have been hit by the Gatak Trojan since 2012. The malware is programmed to spread aggressively across an …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    While email spear fishing is a reasonable infection vector for US Healthcare organizations, all of the ones that I visit locally still provide plain HTTP access within the building for users on their Wi-Fi network so a quick visit with an evil twin stands a good chance of granting access while you sit in the waiting room. If that doesn't work then just access them through the USB port on the PC in the exam room while you sit in your underwear waiting for the doctor to arrive.

    1. elDog

      This scheme works in almost any venue - coffee house, bank

      While a lot of POS (point-of-sale, not only P.O.S.) are properly protected against penetration by perpetrators (oooh, i got carried away again by the Power-of-P); many open ethernet and USB ports are awaiting purposeful placement of prongles.

      The vectors are voluminous and the victims are vulnerable, very very vulnerable. As our new Vulture in Thief will likely vituperate!

  2. Teiwaz

    Non-standard recharge socket

    then just access them through the USB port on the PC in the exam room while you sit in your underwear

    Eeugh! Where did you get that USB plug if you are in your underwear?

    1. WolfFan Silver badge

      Re: Non-standard recharge socket

      Eeugh! Where did you get that USB plug if you are in your underwear?

      Some of us have read 'Papillon', by Charrière.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Non-standard recharge socket

      Let's just say that it works.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Eeugh! Where did you get that USB plug if you are in your underwear?

    Hospitals had better start using packet sniffing to uncover this sort of thing.

    1. David 132 Silver badge
      Coat

      Hospitals had better start using packet sniffing to uncover this sort of thing.

      Or examine the logs.

  4. Alistair
    Coat

    This thread

    Is becoming a cesspool of commentary.

    Utterly inappropriate for industrial medical environments.

    oh. Wait, ElReg. right.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Keygens

    The better question is, do the keygens at least work, so that they at least get SOME positive out of this?

    And surely any smart IT person runs a keygen in an isolated VM!

  6. Inventor of the Marmite Laser Silver badge

    for leveraging the malware

    WTF is wrong with "using"?

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