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Click here to see the summaryUnder a plea deal he signed last week, Vikas Singla, a former business leader at network security vendor Securolytics – a provider to healthcare institutions, among others – admitted that in September 2018 he rendered the Ascom phone system of Gwinnett Medical Center inoperable. Gwinnett Medical Center operates hospitals in Duluth and Lawrenceville and the deliberate disablement of the Ascom phone system meant the main communication line between doctors and nurses was unavailable to them. “This cyberattack on a hospital not only could have had disastrous consequences, but patients’ personal information was also compromised,” said aptly named 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 people’s health and safety at risk while driven by greed.” Pleading guilty to one count of intentional damage to a protected computer, Singla faces a maximum prison term of 10 years, though he may not ever see the inside of a cell. He will have to pay $817,804.12 in restitution to Northside Hospital and Ace American Insurance Company for the damages incurred by the attack, plus any applicable interest that accrues by the time he’s sentenced on February 15, 2024. — Saved 64% of original text.