Canadian Dental Service Succumbs to Demands of Ransomware

The Alberta Dental Service Corp (ADSC) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada gave into a ransomware demand following the theft of more than 1.4 million patient records, some of which contained payment information. Orchestrated by 8base, a ransomware gang that originated in March 2022 with a major uptick in activity in June 2023, the theft occurred on July 26. The ADSC paid an undisclosed ransom to 8base sometime thereafter. 8base employs a combination of encryption and “name-and-shame” tactics to coerce victims into meeting its demands.

ADSC has since taken swift measures to prevent unauthorized access and enlisted the services of a third-party forensic firm. Through diligent efforts, the corporation successfully restored the affected systems and data using backups, minimizing the overall impact.

From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. September 2023;21(8):13