Cyberattacks slammed the computer systems of a California-based health care provider, causing emergency rooms in multiple states to close and ambulance services to be redirected.
The ransomware attack happened at Prospect Medical Holdings of Los Angeles, which has hospitals and clinics in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas. Prospect Medical is working on resolving the issue, the company said in a statement Friday.”Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. recently experienced a data security incident that has disrupted our operations,” the company said in a statement. “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.”Officials with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the nurses union at Crozer-Chester Medical System in Springfield, say the hospital has reverted to a paper system because most of the computers are offline, CBS News reported. The computers are unlikely to be back online until next week, according to the labor group.
Many of Prospect Medical Holdings’ facilities remained closed on Friday while cybersecurity experts worked to evaluate the situation. Meanwhile, the institutions were going to go back to the old-fashioned ways of medical record keeping.
John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s national advisory for cybersecurity and risk, said the recovery process can often take weeks, with hospitals in the meantime reverting to paper systems and humans to do things such as monitor equipment and run records between departments.“These are threat-to-life crimes, which risk not only the safety of the patients within the hospital, but also risk the safety of the entire community that depends on the availability of that emergency department to be there,” Riggi said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking a break from its harassment of J6-participants, ignoring of Hunter Biden’s antics, and the targeting of President Donald J. Trump to investigate.
“The New Haven Field Office of the FBI is involved in an ongoing cyber ransomware investigation of some local medical facilities,” according to Special Agent Robert Fuller. “We are working closely with law enforcement partners and the victim entities to address the issues. At this time there is no further information we can share as this is an ongoing investigation. If and when information can be shared we will do so.”
There have been over 150 cyberattacks on hospitals this year. I am not hopeful that the pace will slow down anytime soon.
The Prospect hack is the 157th cyberattack on a U.S. health care organization this year, said Allan Liska, a ransomware analyst at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Liska said it is also the largest since October 2021, when a ransomware attack prompted CommonSpirit Health, a chain of more than 140 hospitals, to temporarily halt computer operations across the country.
Radiology, diagnostic, and heart health facilities were impacted in the latest attack. Let’s hope the delay in treatment doesn’t lead to someone’s death or other serious health consequence.
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