Atlantic General Hospital should not be blamed for becoming the latest victim of the surge in ransomware attacks on thousands of businesses, agencies and hospitals in this country over the last two years.

In 2022 alone, 250 U.S. health care institutions were extorted for ransom in exchange for the key to unlock their hijacked networks.

So severe is this problem that the FBI, which has  jurisdiction over these crimes, has more than 800 specially trained agents in the field ready to arrive at a victim’s doorstep on short notice.

That’s according to FBI testimony during congressional cybercrime hearings last March, so it’s certain that federal agents are working with AGH as well.

Although it’s only natural that people will complain about canceled appointments and inconveniences, and perhaps blame AGH for this problem, the fact is cybercrime is reaching pandemic proportions itself. Moreover, the physical size or location of an institution has nothing to do with it.

In late 2021, for instance, the Maryland Department of Health was held hostage by ransomware, and last year it happened to one of the largest hospital groups in the country, CommonSpiritHealth, which has 140 hospitals. Pennsylvania hospitals also have been particularly hard-hit since 2020.

This isn’t because of lax security protocols or some in-house failure. It’s because cybercriminals have become increasingly sophisticated. This is especially so when they engage in “phishing,” which is when an email or text appears to be legitimate but, once opened, gives bad actors access to an otherwise secure network.

People who complain that they can’t get more information from AGH officials should also realize that these officials are  locked out of their own system, so neither they nor the FBI can assess what damage, if any, that’s being done.

Aided by FBI and other federal resources, AGH is undoubtedly doing its best to get the situation resolved while also continuing to function.

So get it out of your head that this is a local problem. It isn’t. It’s international economic terrorism. All it takes is opening the wrong email made to look like it’s from someone you know … except it isn’t.