June 17, 2022
The FBI has thwarted a cyberattack on a children’s hospital in Boston that was being planned by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government, FBI Director Christopher Wray says.
Wray told a Boston College cybersecurity conference June 1 that his agents learned of the planned digital attack from an unspecified intelligence partner and got Boston Children’s Hospital the information it needed last summer to block what would have been “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I’ve seen.”
“And quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital, protected both the network and the sick kids who depended on it,” Wray said.
The FBI chief recounted that anecdote in a broader speech about ongoing cyber threats from Russia, China and Iran and the need for partnerships between the US government and the private sector.
He said the bureau and Boston Children’s Hospital had worked closely together after a hacktivist attacked the hospital’s computer network in 2014. Martin Gottesfeld launched a cyberattack at the hospital to protest the care of a teenager at the center of a high-profile custody battle and later was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The attack against the hospital and a treatment home cost the facilities tens of thousands of dollars and disrupted operations for days.
“Children’s and our Boston office already knew each other well before the attack from Iran and that made a difference,” Wray said.
He did not ascribe a particular motive to the planned attack, but noted that Iran and other countries have been hiring cyber mercenaries to conduct attacks on their behalf.
The very next day, Iran’s mission to the UN, issued a statement saying, “This baseless allegation is an example of psychological warfare against Iran and of no value.”