BNN Bloomberg reports that UK pathology services provider Synnovis has been demanded by the Qilin ransomware gang to provide $50 million in ransom in exchange for a decryption key for the firm's blood testing and transfusion computer systems that would end the weeks-long operational disruption across London hospitals.
Qilin, which was initially blamed for being behind the incident by former National Cyber Security Centre CEO Ciaran Martin, has also disclosed the imminent online leak of data stolen from Synnovis after failed negotiations with the pathology provider. Synnovis' systems have been compromised through the exploitation of a zero-day, noted a Qilin representative, who also apologized to individuals who were not able to obtain necessary medical care due to the intrusion but justified the incident as retaliation to the UK's participation in wars. Meanwhile, Synnovis said that the investigation into the far-reaching breach is still ongoing. More than 100 organizations across over a dozen countries have already been compromised by Qilin since its emergence two years ago.
