A serious attack that occurred in August 2023 paralyzed most systems and operations of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), exposing the personal data of approximately 883,000 individuals.
See also: Ascension: Data breach affects 5.6 million people
The outage began on August 27, 2023 , affecting a wide range of systems, including internal networks, communication and web platforms , phones, internal applications, as well as MyChart and MyPrevea services . Online payments and the official HSHS website were also affected. The outage lasted for several days, causing significant operational disruptions.
All 15 HSHS hospitals in Wisconsin and Illinois, along with Health clinics , were forced to implement temporary shutdown procedures. However, they continued to provide uninterrupted care to their patients.
The investigation into the attack revealed that hackers had infiltrated the nonprofit healthcare organization's network between August 16 and 27.During this period, they gained access to specific files containing personal information.
See also: Anna Jaques Hospital: Ransomware attack exposed patient data
According to Hospital Sisters Health, information that may have been compromised by the attack includes names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, medical record numbers, treatment data, and health insurance.
HSHS began notifying the potentially affected individuals in October 2023, but in August 2024, a year after the incident, said it had not yet determined how many people were affected.
In September 2024, it published an open letter stating that it had received reports of patients being targeted by scam programs that impersonated HSHS representatives.
This week, the healthcare provider notified the Maine Attorney General's Office that 882,782 people were affected by the data breach. Hospital Sisters Health is providing free identity theft and credit monitoring services to those affected by the attack.
See also: PIH Health was attacked by Ransomware
A “disruptive” cyberattack can destroy systems and infrastructure, leaving critical operations “paralyzed.” These attacks often target vulnerabilities in networks, exploiting weaknesses to disrupt services, steal sensitive data, or cause widespread chaos. The impact can be widespread, affecting businesses, governments, and individuals, making cybersecurity measures a key focus in today’s digital age.
Source: securityweek
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