Ascension Hospitals Hit By Major Cyberattack Nationwide
A major cyberattack has struck Ascension, one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United States, severely disrupting operations across multiple facilities. The incident, which appears to be a ransomware attack, has impacted the hospitals’ computer networks, affecting everything from electronic health records to email systems and patient portals.
“On Wednesday, May 8, we detected unusual activity on select technology network systems, which we now believe is due to a cybersecurity event. At this time we continue to investigate the situation. We responded immediately, initiated our investigation and activated our remediation efforts. Access to some systems have been interrupted as this process continues,” Ascension’s press release reads.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim’s files, rendering them inaccessible until a ransom is paid to the attackers. In the case of healthcare organizations, such attacks can have devastating consequences, potentially disrupting patient care and exposing sensitive medical data.
Nurses working at Ascension hospitals throughout the country have taken to social media so share more about the situation. It’s clear by the comments on Instagram that some facilities are handling the situation differently than others.
As cybercriminals increasingly target healthcare organizations, experts stress the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and incident response plans to mitigate the impact of such attacks.
The Ascension cyberattack is the latest in a string of high-profile ransomware incidents targeting healthcare organizations, underscoring the urgency of addressing this growing threat to critical infrastructure and sensitive information.
