IT systems at Capital Health and medical offices across New Jersey are facing outages after a cyberattack hit the network .
Capital Health operates two hospitals (Regional Medical Center in Trenton and Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell), an outpatient facility in Hamilton, and dozens of practice locations in New Jersey.
Capital Health confirmed that both hospitals are accepting new patients, according to protocols established during the system shutdown.
The non-profit organization has notified the relevant authorities of the incident and is now working with law enforcement and external cybersecurity experts to restore the affected services.
See also: Hospitals in 6 states hit by ransomware attack
The hospital IT team focuses on restoring systems, while surgeries are scheduled based on the patient's condition.
“ Capital Health is experiencing a network outage due to what we believe to be a cybersecurity incident, something we know is occurring at other healthcare across the country. We are prioritizing safe patient care while we work to restore the network and address the consequences of this disruption organizations ,” the organization said
“All Capital Health ICUs remain open to those requiring urgent care, and our teams continue to provide appropriate treatment for their medical condition. Both hospitals continue to admit and treat patients requiring inpatient care and services“.
Capital Health also said some changes have been made to surgical schedules , but there is now minimal impact. However, radiology and neurophysiology tests will be rescheduled.
Systems out of service for at least a week
Capital Health expects to operate with some restrictions for at least another week. At this time, it cannot specifically state when all systems and operations will be restored.
See also: Cybersecurity firm executive was responsible for hospital hacking
Although the type of attack on Capital Health has not been officially reported, it could be a ransomware attack, judging by the outage of the organization's systems.
“At least 36 U.S. hospitals have been affected by ransomware this year,” said Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow. In most cases, data was also stolen.
The federal government has repeatedly warned of ransomware attacks on US healthcare organizations since last year.
Consequences of attacks on hospitals and healthcare organizations
The consequences of a successful cyberattack on a hospital can be serious for the health and safety of patients. An attacker can gain access to sensitive medical data, such as medical reports, medical histories, and patient safety information. This can lead to a breach of patient privacy and the leakage of sensitive information.
Additionally, cyberattacks can cause disruptions to medical systems and electronic patient (as happened at Capital Health). This can lead to delays in providing medical care and potentially endangering patients’ lives. In addition, attacks can cause financial losses to the hospital due to the need to restore systems.
See also: TransForm: Ransomware attack on hospitals affects data of thousands of patients
Finally, a successful cyberattack can also have psychological consequences for patients and healthcare professionals . Patients may be concerned about the security of their personal information and the impact that a breach of their privacy may have on the delivery of care. Healthcare professionals may experience a loss of trust and concern about the security of medical systems, which can affect the effectiveness of care delivery.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
