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A large healthcare network operating across multiple states recently experienced widespread network disruptions due to a cyberattack, confirmed by the FBI to be a ransomware incident.
Prospect Medical Holdings, which oversees 16 hospitals spanning California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, alongside a network encompassing 166 outpatient clinics and centers, has encountered widespread issues across its hospital locations since the 3rd of August.
The severity of the situation has led some hospitals to redirect patients to alternative facilities and suspend their operations temporarily.
The FBI Confirmed that It Was a Ransomware Attack
The FBI has disclosed that it is actively investigating the ransomware attack; however, due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, they are unable to provide further details at this time. No specific ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
A spokesperson from Prospect stated that the hospital experienced a security incident that disrupted operations:
Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists. While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.
Prospect Spokesperson Statement (Source)
Reports from various local news sources in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California, and Rhode Island have highlighted instances where multiple hospital emergency departments were compelled to divert patients or temporarily close their facilities since the 3rd of August, explains The Record.
Some hospitals announced the outages on their Facebook pages.
The Healthcare Sector, Increasingly Targeted by Ransomware
This situation mirrors several previous incidents over the past year. CommonSpirit Health, a major nonprofit healthcare system in the United States, acknowledged falling victim to ransomware in October, resulting in extensive outages and closures of hospitals across numerous states.
The gravity of ransomware attacks on healthcare institutions has grown to such an extent that the Department of Health and Human Services has issued specialized guidelines targeting specific ransomware groups that frequently target healthcare establishments.
Eric Goldstein, the Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), emphasized the seriousness of this incident and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to working closely with both federal and private sector partners to provide necessary assistance.
Cybercrime and data breaches have persisted as an issue in the healthcare sector for some time. Official records (OCR Breach Portal) indicate that between 2010 and 2022, 385 million patient records may have been compromised due to healthcare data breaches.
If you want to learn more about ransomware, check out our related articles on how ransomware spreads, how to mitigate it, prevent it, and how to create a successful cybersecurity strategy.
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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.
