Cyberattack forces US hospital closures

Cyberattack forces US hospital closures

Cyberattack forces US hospital closures

LOS ANGELES, California – A cyberattack on a US hospital group has compelled the closure of pressing care and different important well being companies at its amenities throughout at the least 4 states, officers stated Friday.

Prospect Medical Holdings, which operates 16 hospitals throughout California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, suffered a “data security incident,” a spokeswoman stated in an announcement to AFP.

“Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” she stated.

The group’s Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut stated the pc outage was affecting all inpatient and outpatient operations, with workers utilizing “paper records, until this is resolved.”

The Eastern Connecticut Health Network stated its pressing care middle was closed, and elective surgical procedures canceled, till additional discover.

The incident seemed to be a ransomware assault, however was nonetheless beneath investigation, the spokeswoman stated.

Ransomware assaults usually entry weak laptop methods and encrypt or steal information, earlier than sending a ransom be aware demanding cost in alternate for decrypting the info or not releasing it publicly.

Healthcare teams are often focused.

“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,” stated the assertion. —  Agence France-Presse

Source: www.gmanetwork.com