Suspected Ransomware Attack Disables Some Systems At Ross Memorial Hospital | Kawartha 411
Suspected Ransomware Attack Disables Some Systems At Ross Memorial Hospital
Pamela Vanmeer
By
Pamela Vanmeer
February 7, 2023
KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha 411 News has learned a suspected ransomware attack has hit Ross Memorial Hospital disabling some important diagnostic systems and access to medical files.
Patients in the Emergency Department notified Kawartha 411 this morning calling the situation “crazy”. Patients say staff aren’t able to access the systems needed for treatment and they say even the parking machines aren’t working properly.
The Hospital declared a Code Grey at 10:53 p.m. on Sunday, February 5 due to a “suspected cybersecurity incident”.
A CODE Grey is used if the hospital experiences a loss of a utility resulting in the potential loss of use of the hospital facilities.
“The hospital has retained third-party cybersecurity resources to work with our technical experts to investigate the incident according to industry best practices,” said Ryan Young, Communications RMH after being contacted by Kawartha 411. “In the meantime, as high-quality patient care is our priority, we are managing our established protocols to maintain continued delivery of our critical hospital services. Our systems restoration plan is also ongoing, and we are communicating with our local, regional, and provincial partners regarding next steps.”
Officials are urging patients with less urgent conditions are encouraged to consider alternate options for care such as their primary health care provider, pharmacist, after-hours clinic, virtual care, or by calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0007. After-hours clinics can often treat non-urgent and minor illnesses and ailments, such as earaches, sore throats or prescription refills.
The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI on Friday released an alert about the attack and warned organizations to patch the vulnerability.
Officials estimate thousands of computer servers have been compromised around the world, and according to analysts the number is likely to increase. Experts warned organizations to take action to avoid being locked out of their systems.
The attacks target VMware servers in places such as France, Finland, Canada and the US.
Many hospitals use the VMware ESXi servers targeted in this attack although it is unclear if it is used at the Ross.
Pamela Vanmeer
By
Pamela Vanmeer
February 7, 2023
KAWARTHA LAKES-Kawartha 411 News has learned a suspected ransomware attack has hit Ross Memorial Hospital disabling some important diagnostic systems and access to medical files.
Patients in the Emergency Department notified Kawartha 411 this morning calling the situation “crazy”. Patients say staff aren’t able to access the systems needed for treatment and they say even the parking machines aren’t working properly.
The Hospital declared a Code Grey at 10:53 p.m. on Sunday, February 5 due to a “suspected cybersecurity incident”.
A CODE Grey is used if the hospital experiences a loss of a utility resulting in the potential loss of use of the hospital facilities.
“The hospital has retained third-party cybersecurity resources to work with our technical experts to investigate the incident according to industry best practices,” said Ryan Young, Communications RMH after being contacted by Kawartha 411. “In the meantime, as high-quality patient care is our priority, we are managing our established protocols to maintain continued delivery of our critical hospital services. Our systems restoration plan is also ongoing, and we are communicating with our local, regional, and provincial partners regarding next steps.”
Officials are urging patients with less urgent conditions are encouraged to consider alternate options for care such as their primary health care provider, pharmacist, after-hours clinic, virtual care, or by calling Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0007. After-hours clinics can often treat non-urgent and minor illnesses and ailments, such as earaches, sore throats or prescription refills.
The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI on Friday released an alert about the attack and warned organizations to patch the vulnerability.
Officials estimate thousands of computer servers have been compromised around the world, and according to analysts the number is likely to increase. Experts warned organizations to take action to avoid being locked out of their systems.
The attacks target VMware servers in places such as France, Finland, Canada and the US.
Many hospitals use the VMware ESXi servers targeted in this attack although it is unclear if it is used at the Ross.
