The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating a ransomware attack that disrupted the services of a California-based healthcare provider on August 3.
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The attack on Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., which in addition to managing hospitals and medical clinics in California, also provides services in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas, was first detected on Thursday before being disclosed by the company on Friday.
Officially, the company referred to the attack only as a “data security incident that disrupted our operations,” although the FBI has since confirmed that it is investigating a ransomware attack. Which ransomware group was behind the attack has not been revealed, and no group has publicly claimed responsibility.
The attack reportedly caused Prospect emergency rooms to close in several states and ambulance services to be redirected to other hospitals. The medical group said it had taken its systems offline to protect them, suggesting it was a ransomware attack, and said it had hired outside cybersecurity experts.
The Associated Press reported that the White House is also monitoring the attack, given its size and scope.
Proposal: Ransomware attack forces Connecticut health system to close facilities
As of Sunday evening EDT, hospitals and medical clinics operated by Prospect were struggling to restore service. East Connecticut Health Network said on website that all scheduled surgeries, outpatient medical X-rays, outpatient blood draws, urgent care and its trauma center were closed until further notice.
Other hospitals were luckier. A spokesperson for Crozer Hospitals, which is owned by Prospect, Pennsylvania, told a local news outlet that while there was a ransomware attack, there was no impact on patient care. However, the spokesperson added that services were affected at facilities including Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Taylor Hospital, Delaware County Memorial Hospital and Springfield Hospital.
Hospitals and other healthcare providers remain a favorite target of ransomware gangs thanks to the wealth of personal information and protected medical information that a successful attack can obtain. While it has not yet been confirmed in the Prospect case, it is highly likely that the ransomware attack targeted patient information.
Previous attacks targeting medical records included 9 million records stolen from Managed Care of North America Inc. in May, 5.8 million records stolen from PharMedica Corp. also in May, and 1 million records possibly stolen from Zoll Medical Corp. in March.
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information source:siliconangle.com
