FBI Blocked Cyberthreat Against Boston Children's Hospital In 2021

BOSTON — Hackers sponsored by the Iranian government tried to gain access to the computer systems of Boston Children's Hospital last year, but the Boston Division of the FBI said Wednesday that they were able to help the hospital thwart the planned intrusion.

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray called the incident "one of the most despicable cyberattacks I've ever seen," when speaking about the incident during an address at the sixth annual Boston Conference on Cyber Security at Boston College.

Last summer, the FBI said officials received a report from another intelligence agency that the foreign hackers were targeting Boston Children's Hospital specifically - the second time in under ten years.

FBI agents were able to contact the hospital on August 3, 2021, and provide officials with a cybersecurity advisory as the hackers tried to penetrate the hospital's network.

"We got a report from one of our intelligence partners indicating Boston Children's was about to be targeted, and understanding the urgency of the situation, the cyber squad in our Boston field office raced out to notify the hospital," Wray said.

Within the next ten days, the Boston Division of the FBI was able to meet with hospital representatives to address concerns about the threat and provide the hospital with information necessary to "stop the danger right away," Wray added.

"Quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital, protected both the network and the sick kids" who relyed on the hospital network for treatment, Wray said. "It's a great example of why we deploy in the field the way we do."

In 2014, there was a series of attacks on Boston Children's Hospital that disrupted the hospital's network for almost a week. The attacks were planned in an attempt to sway the hospital's handling of the case of Justina Pelletier, a teenager from Connecticut who was the center of a highly publicized custody battle within the hospital.

The hacker was convicted in 2019 thanks to the Boston Department of the FBI's investigation.