BlackSuit ransomware claims to have hacked Kansas City Hospice


The BlackSuit ransomware gang claims to have breached Kansas City Hospice, a non-profit organization that provides end-of-life care and support services (palliative care) to patients and their families in the Kansas City area.

Cybernews dark web monitoring tools indicate that the Hospice was added to BlackSuit's victim list on October 19th. Its website doesn’t provide further details.

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care recently identified unusual activity on some of our IT systems.

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“After we discovered the activity, we immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic investigators, and we are working diligently to understand the extent and scope of the activity. Some of our systems were affected by this incident, but despite these disruptions, we have remained operational throughout, continued to provide services to our patients, and are currently fully recovered,” the spokesperson for the organization told Cybernews.

“In addition, through the ongoing investigation, we will also look for opportunities to further enhance our existing security measures. We are committed to the security of the information we maintain.”

BlackSuit ransomware is one of the most notorious gangs, spreading rapidly across critical infrastructure sectors and demanding ransoms as high as $60 million. The FBI warned earlier this year that the cybercriminals have demanded over $500 million in ransoms. BlackSuit ransomware is suspected to be a rebrand of the infamous Royal ransomware group, which was active between September 2022 and June 2023 and used similar code.

Founded in 1980, Kansas City Hospice serves 5,700 individuals and their families annually and has more than 300 employees and more than 300 volunteers. The nonprofit is the largest and most comprehensive hospice in the region.

Updated on October 22nd [06:20 a.m. GMT] with a statement from Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.