Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed due to cyberattack
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed due to cyberattack
The clinic says they were able to limit the impact of the attack due to the quick response of their technology experts.
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remained closed on Wednesday after a cyberattack.
By Carmyn Gutierrez, Caleb Wethington, Brendan Tierney and Ryan Breslin
Published: May. 2, 2023 at 1:53 PM BST|Updated: 20 hours ago
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) - Murfreesboro Medical Clinic & SurgiCenter was the victim of a sophisticated criminal cyberattack, according to a press release.
The cyberattack happened on April 22 and in response, MMC said it had to shut down all operations on May 1-4 to limit the spread of the attack. Since shutting down, they’ve been working with law enforcement and experts to identify the source and scope of the attack to restore normal operations.
CEO Joey Peay said they were able to limit the impact of the attack thanks to the quick response of their technology experts. MMC’s data backup systems were not affected by the attack.
“They would hit us, and we would try to hit them back,” Peay said about trying to fight the cyber criminals for more than a week. “We thought we were in pretty good shape and then Sunday morning things changed again. That is what necessitated us closing. We weren’t going to be able to continue to fend off the serious nature of these attacks with our clinic open, our physicians and staff trying to work. It just wasn’t going to be doable.”
It’s not clear at this time if any data was accessed or stolen, Peay said. They’ve seen ransom demands, but their information was not encrypted. At this time, they’re encouraging patients and employees to monitor their personal data for any misuse of specific patient, employee, or corporate data.
MCC is using the backup data to get the clinic open again, but the damage has already been done with around 6,000 appointments cancelled so far this week. Peay said it has been, “infuriating and saddening.”
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed on Thursday due to a cyberattack.
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed on Thursday due to a cyberattack.(WSMV)
MMC planned to be open on Wednesday but decided to change course because it was taking longer than expected to restore their computer and phone systems.
Peay said MMC will reopen on Friday on a very limited basis. He is hopeful to get back to normal operations at some time next week.
Doctors are beginning to reach out to patients to reschedule canceled appointments, Peay said. They are committed to doing whatever it takes to regain the trust of their patients and treat people as soon as possible.
“To tell them, ‘OK we are going to reschedule you in three or four months,’ that’s not right,” Peay said. “We are going to work to get these patients in. It’s going to mean a little longer hours for our physicians and staff, maybe even some weekend appointment to accommodate those patient needs and get them back in.”
The clinic says they were able to limit the impact of the attack due to the quick response of their technology experts.
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remained closed on Wednesday after a cyberattack.
By Carmyn Gutierrez, Caleb Wethington, Brendan Tierney and Ryan Breslin
Published: May. 2, 2023 at 1:53 PM BST|Updated: 20 hours ago
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) - Murfreesboro Medical Clinic & SurgiCenter was the victim of a sophisticated criminal cyberattack, according to a press release.
The cyberattack happened on April 22 and in response, MMC said it had to shut down all operations on May 1-4 to limit the spread of the attack. Since shutting down, they’ve been working with law enforcement and experts to identify the source and scope of the attack to restore normal operations.
CEO Joey Peay said they were able to limit the impact of the attack thanks to the quick response of their technology experts. MMC’s data backup systems were not affected by the attack.
“They would hit us, and we would try to hit them back,” Peay said about trying to fight the cyber criminals for more than a week. “We thought we were in pretty good shape and then Sunday morning things changed again. That is what necessitated us closing. We weren’t going to be able to continue to fend off the serious nature of these attacks with our clinic open, our physicians and staff trying to work. It just wasn’t going to be doable.”
It’s not clear at this time if any data was accessed or stolen, Peay said. They’ve seen ransom demands, but their information was not encrypted. At this time, they’re encouraging patients and employees to monitor their personal data for any misuse of specific patient, employee, or corporate data.
MCC is using the backup data to get the clinic open again, but the damage has already been done with around 6,000 appointments cancelled so far this week. Peay said it has been, “infuriating and saddening.”
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed on Thursday due to a cyberattack.
Murfreesboro Medical Clinic remains closed on Thursday due to a cyberattack.(WSMV)
MMC planned to be open on Wednesday but decided to change course because it was taking longer than expected to restore their computer and phone systems.
Peay said MMC will reopen on Friday on a very limited basis. He is hopeful to get back to normal operations at some time next week.
Doctors are beginning to reach out to patients to reschedule canceled appointments, Peay said. They are committed to doing whatever it takes to regain the trust of their patients and treat people as soon as possible.
“To tell them, ‘OK we are going to reschedule you in three or four months,’ that’s not right,” Peay said. “We are going to work to get these patients in. It’s going to mean a little longer hours for our physicians and staff, maybe even some weekend appointment to accommodate those patient needs and get them back in.”
