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Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, one of the main hospitals in the Spanish city, suffered a ransomware attack that crippled its computer system, causing 3,000 patient checkups and 150 non-urgent operations to be canceled. The incident occurred on Sunday, the 5th of March.

All new urgent cases are currently transferred to other hospitals in the city, according to Associated Press News.

The hospital’s press department said that all written work was being done on paper and that the hospital was diverting new urgent cases to other hospitals in the city. Spanish state news agency EFE said the attack cut off access to patients records and communication between units.

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The ransomware incident affected the computers in the laboratories, emergency room, and pharmacy at three main centers, as well as several external clinics.

The hospital director, Antoni Castells, stated in a press conference on Monday that they “can’t make predictions as to when the system will be back up to normal”.

The Catalonian Cybersecurity Agency is assisting the medical facility in restoring its systems. The perpetrators of the attack have not yet announced a ransom demand.

Segi Marcén, secretary of communications for the regional government, made it clear that no ransom would be paid by the Spanish government.

The authorities are looking into the security breach, but the hospital has not stated whether or not there was a data breach, explains Security Affairs.

A local cybersecurity agency reported that the attack was carried out by a ransomware group known as Ransom House.

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Madalina Popovici

Digital PR Specialist

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Madalina, a seasoned digital content creator at Heimdal®, blends her passion for cybersecurity with an 8-year background in PR & CSR consultancy. Skilled in making complex cyber topics accessible, she bridges the gap between cyber experts and the wider audience with finesse.

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