Meow ransomware hits Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Tennessee-based hospital system Vanderbilt University Medical Center has confirmed being impacted by a cyber incident that compromised one of its databases after being listed on the data leak site of the Meow ransomware gang on Thanksgiving, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Investigation into the incident is underway, but VUMC noted that initial findings revealed no compromise of any personal or protected patient or employee data. With the intrusion coming after the release of Meow ransomware decryptor and the reported end of the group's operations earlier this year, attackers are believed by Recorded Future ransomware expert Allan Liska to not have leveraged the Meow ransomware in their latest campaign. "There don't appear to be any recent sample cryptors, so it might be an extortion only group, which is a lot easier to launch and would not have required breaking into all those targets," said Liska.