Los Angeles hospital attack concerns cybersecurity experts

Computer security experts said hospitals are particularly vulnerable because some medical equipment runs on old operating systems that cannot easily be safeguarded.

Hospitals have not been as diligent in combating cyber threats such as ransomware as other sectors, according to several experts, despite the life-and-death nature of their operations, their tight control over patient information and mandates that they move toward electronic record keeping.

Hospitals are "about 10 to 15 years behind the banking industry" in combatting cyber threats, said Lysa Myers, a researcher with the computer security firm ESET.

Paying thousands of dollars to resolve a serious attack that has penetrated a multimillion dollar business such as a large hospital would be "a no brainer," said James Carder, chief information security officer of LogRhythm, a security intelligence and analytics firm.

Intrusion detection systems and firewalls can help if a person does click — but once the ransomware is entrenched, if the system does not have good system backup practices, the choices boil down to paying or never regaining control.