“Your money or your life!” – Ransomwares in healthcare information systems

In recent years, due to the value of health data and the specificities of health processes, data breaches have become increasingly important. In addition to the general data protection rules of the European Union, aspects of general information security, including technology and human behaviour, have been reassessed. In this article, we present the importance of blackmail (ransomware) virus attacks in the health sector. According to international data, especially in the US, one of the most important methods of institutional attacks will be the extortion attack in the coming years, and this is expected to increase in importance, especially in health care where sensitive and valuable data are truly life-giving. Because of the encryption of data and the blocking of core processes, blackmail viruses can also have a significant impact on the effectiveness of therapy and healthcare. In addition to presenting the current international situation, the article also outlines the most important steps that can be taken by those involved in daily patient's care to ensure continuity of patient care. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(36): 1498-1505.