Hackers demanding millions in ransom to not publish Bnei Brak hospital files

Cyberhackers threaten to release sensitive medical information that they stole from a Haredi hospital on politicians and rabbis unless they’re paid a hefty ransom of millions of dollars, the Israel Hayom newspaper reports.

The hackers threatening to release data on patients of Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak make their demands known today, several days after the hack was first reported, and are demanding tens of millions of shekels, the report says.

The stolen information includes hundreds of thousands of documents, including some that relate to psychiatric treatment, containing private and confidential information, the article says.

The files are on notable personalities including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lawmakers, rabbinical leaders and very well-known individuals in Haredi circles, the hackers reportedly say.

Netanyahu was treated in 2015 at Mayanei Hayeshua for his prostate, the Israel Hayom article says.

A hacker group called Ranger Locker targeted the hospital earlier this month, disrupting its computer system and stealing information.

The hospital says it is looking into the “implications” of the leak. The attack was “financially motivated” and the hospital isn’t negotiating with the hackers, the statement says.

Ranger Locker is not known to be affiliated with any organization or state, the report says.