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CEO of Atlanta-based Network Security Company Charged for Cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center

CEO of Atlanta-based Network Security Company Charged for Cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center

  • Vikas Singla, 45, of Marietta, Georgia, was allegedly responsible for disrupting phone service, obtaining information from a digitizing device, and disrupting network printer service.

An Indian American CEO of a network security company has been charged for a cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center in 2018. Vikas Singla, 45 of Marietta, Georgia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 8, and is charged with 17 counts of intentional damage to a protected computer and one count of obtaining information from a protected computer, according to a Department of Justice press release.

“Cyberattacks that target important infrastructure, like healthcare, pose a serious threat to public health and safety,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “In this case, Singla allegedly compromised Gwinnett Medical Center’s operations in part for his own personal gain.”

At the time, Singla worked as a chief operating officer at the Atlanta-based network security company that served the healthcare industry. According to the indictment, and other information presented in court, Singla was responsible for disrupting phone service, obtaining information from a digitizing device, and disrupting network printer service. The indictment further alleged that the cyberattack was conducted, in part, for financial gain. 

“Criminal disruptions of hospital computer networks can have tragic consequences,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The department is committed to holding accountable those who endanger the lives of patients by damaging computers that are essential in the operation of our healthcare system.”

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The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “This cyberattack on a hospital not only could have had disastrous consequences, but the patient’s personal information was also compromised,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners are determined to hold accountable those who allegedly put peoples health and safety at risk while driven by greed.”

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