A federal grand jury in the Southern District of California has charged a man in connection to the May 1, 2021, San Diego-based Scripps Health ransomware attack that affected 1.2 million patients.
Maksim Galochkin was charged with three counts of computer hacking in connection with the Conti ransomware attack that targeted Scripps in 2021.
The court alleged that Mr. Galochkin "caused the transmission of the Conti malware and impaired the medical examination, diagnosis, treatment, and care of one or more individuals," according to a Sept. 7 press release from the Justice Department.
The attack forced Scripps to take a portion of its IT system offline for several weeks and led to care disruptions for the health system and surrounding hospitals such as UC San Diego Health.
If Mr. Galochkin is convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.