San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Back Online After Malware Attack | Banning, CA Patch
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Back Online After Malware Attack
Data hacks on healthcare facilities — like the one at SGMH — do threaten lives, according to experts in the cybersecurity field.
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Toni McAllister,
Patch Staff
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Posted Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 3:32 pm PT
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Updated Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 4:32 pm PT
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Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, SGMH CEO Steve Barron said.
Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, SGMH CEO Steve Barron said. (Shutterstock)
BANNING, CA — A six-day shutdown of electronic health records at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital was due to a malware attack that remains under investigation by a team of forensics professionals, according to SGMH CEO Steve Barron.
The attack occurred Nov. 10 and all systems at the 600 N. Highland Springs Avenue campus were back online Wednesday, Barron confirmed.
Archive patient information stored on servers was breached during the hack, but Barron said the data compromise was limited to a very small percentage of older records and likely involved names and addresses only.
"We are still assessing it," he said.
Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, Barron added.
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Once the attack was detected, the hospital's online systems were immediately shut down to protect data, Barron said. The protocol meant hospital employees temporarily reverted to paper recordkeeping and there was no online access to health records.
It's unclear how many hospital visitors were made aware of the data breach.
"A family member went on Wednesday [Nov. 9] to the ER and was told to come back Thursday for his test results. He’s been back 1-2 times a day since then and keeps getting the runaround. That’s when I knew something was off," a local shared with Patch earlier this week.
Delays in test results and some other healthcare services were inevitable, but Barron said, "We did a better job than most."
He did not disclose specific details of the ongoing forensics investigation.
"I think we're in good shape now," Barron said."Patients can come to the hospital and not worry about having their data stolen."
Data hacks on healthcare facilities — like the one at SGMH — do threaten patient care, according to experts in the cybersecurity field.
Last month, CommonSpirit Health, the fourth-largest U.S. health system with 140 hospitals across the nation, was hit by an "IT security issue" that led to delays in surgeries, patient care and appointments.
"Ransomware attacks on hospitals are not white collar crimes, they are threat-to-life crimes because they directly threaten a hospital’s ability to provide patient care, which puts patient safety at risk," according to a report by John Riggi, senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association. "To be clear, a ransomware attack on a hospital crosses the line from an economic crime to a threat-to-life crime ."
Data hacks on healthcare facilities — like the one at SGMH — do threaten lives, according to experts in the cybersecurity field.
Toni McAllister's profile picture
Toni McAllister,
Patch Staff
Verified Patch Staff Badge
Posted Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 3:32 pm PT
|
Updated Wed, Nov 16, 2022 at 4:32 pm PT
Reply
Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, SGMH CEO Steve Barron said.
Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, SGMH CEO Steve Barron said. (Shutterstock)
BANNING, CA — A six-day shutdown of electronic health records at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital was due to a malware attack that remains under investigation by a team of forensics professionals, according to SGMH CEO Steve Barron.
The attack occurred Nov. 10 and all systems at the 600 N. Highland Springs Avenue campus were back online Wednesday, Barron confirmed.
Archive patient information stored on servers was breached during the hack, but Barron said the data compromise was limited to a very small percentage of older records and likely involved names and addresses only.
"We are still assessing it," he said.
Anyone whose information was compromised will be notified, Barron added.
Find out what's happening in Banning-Beaumontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Your email address
Let's go!
Once the attack was detected, the hospital's online systems were immediately shut down to protect data, Barron said. The protocol meant hospital employees temporarily reverted to paper recordkeeping and there was no online access to health records.
It's unclear how many hospital visitors were made aware of the data breach.
"A family member went on Wednesday [Nov. 9] to the ER and was told to come back Thursday for his test results. He’s been back 1-2 times a day since then and keeps getting the runaround. That’s when I knew something was off," a local shared with Patch earlier this week.
Delays in test results and some other healthcare services were inevitable, but Barron said, "We did a better job than most."
He did not disclose specific details of the ongoing forensics investigation.
"I think we're in good shape now," Barron said."Patients can come to the hospital and not worry about having their data stolen."
Data hacks on healthcare facilities — like the one at SGMH — do threaten patient care, according to experts in the cybersecurity field.
Last month, CommonSpirit Health, the fourth-largest U.S. health system with 140 hospitals across the nation, was hit by an "IT security issue" that led to delays in surgeries, patient care and appointments.
"Ransomware attacks on hospitals are not white collar crimes, they are threat-to-life crimes because they directly threaten a hospital’s ability to provide patient care, which puts patient safety at risk," according to a report by John Riggi, senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association. "To be clear, a ransomware attack on a hospital crosses the line from an economic crime to a threat-to-life crime ."
