The FBI was able to help thwart hackers before they damaged the hospital’s computer network, according to Wray, but cited it as an example of the potential high-impact hacking threats facing states. United by the governments of Iran, Russia, China and North Korea.
“We can’t ignore China or Iran or criminal unions while we’re focused on Russia,” Wray said in a speech at Boston College.
The hacking, which took place in June 2021, saw attackers exploit popular software made by California-based Fortinet to control the hospital’s computer network, according to U.S. officials. .
It is unclear what the final targets of the attackers were. Boston Children’s Hospital is a more than 400-bed facility and is considered one of the leading pediatric centers in the United States.
Wray had previously said in March that hackers linked to the Iranian government were behind a cyber attack on a children’s hospital, but did not name the hospital.
CNN has requested comments on the hospital and the Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations.
The incident was one of several that prompted a public warning last November from the FBI and other agencies that Iranian government-backed hackers were targeting various organizations in the transportation and health sectors.
It was a rare case in which the U.S. government publicly linked Iran to ransomware software, which is typically used by cybercriminals instead of governments. But U.S. officials and private analysts have long warned of collusion between foreign governments and criminal piracy groups.
When it comes to possible threats of Russian piracy in the U.S., the FBI has been in a “fighting time,” with a command post 24 hours a day, during the Kremlin war in Ukraine, Wray added.
“We have seen the Russian government take specific preparatory measures towards destructive potential [cyber]attacks, both here and abroad, “he added.
Such a “destructive” hack – in which data or systems are destroyed – has not been reported in the US since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But alleged Russian hackers have carried out a series of destructive hacking in Ukraine, and US officials are warning companies not to lower their guard.
The same access to the network obtained by Russian operators to gather information could be used for destructive hacking, Wray warned. “That’s why, when it comes to Russia today, we focus on acting as soon as possible, as they say on the left of the boom.”
“We are watching their cyber activities become more destructive as the war continues to be bad for them,” Wray said Wednesday.