Memorial Health System in Ohio was affected by a ransomware attack during mid-August 2021, according to TechSpot. The healthcare system is composed of Marietta Memorial Hospital, Selby General Hospital and Sistersville General Hospital.
The level of the attack forced the healthcare network to completely shut down their Information Technology systems. The result of this drastic action led to staff to work with paper charts and for some surgeries and radiology examinations to be cancelled.
The health system announced that it suffered “an information technology security incident in the early morning hours this morning, August 15, 2021,” according to a statement published on its website, local media reported. “As a result, we suspended user access to information technology applications related to our operations” (as quoted by SC Media).
The ransomware attack directed at the non-profit Memorial Health was led by a group of cyber-criminals to go by the name of Hive.
As a result of the incident it appears that highly-sensitive information belonging to 200,000 patients, such as names and social security numbers, has been stolen and held for ransom, with those refusing to pay being exploited on the dark web.
Looking into the incident for Digital Journal is Steve Forbes, government cyber security expert at Nominet.
According to Forbes this incident is the latest in a steady-stream of cyber-onslaughts against healthcare systems, as he states: “Ransomware attacks against healthcare systems have not let up with the Memorial Health System in Ohio being the latest victim.”
This area is presenting a relatively easy target at the moment, as Forbes explains: “Healthcare services are still under strain from the pandemic and getting these organizations back up and running needs to be a priority.” In addition to this, information technology systems will be under continued strain.
With the specific incident, Forbes sees some hope: “It is encouraging to see the healthcare provider take immediate action, and collaborate with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to help resolve the situation.”
In other words, there is strength in collaboration and openness. Forbes sees this as crucial: “Working together will not just work towards countering the current threats, but build resilience for the future too. While we may never eliminate ransomware completely, we do need to get to a point where we can identify the ransomware before it takes control of the data and brings services to a halt.”
