Richmond University Medical Center suffers ransomware attack; unclear if patient info compromised - silive.com
Richmond University Medical Center suffers ransomware attack; unclear if patient info compromised
Published: May. 11, 2023, 2:47 p.m.
RUMC suffers ransomware attack, unclear if patient information compromised
The exterior of Richmond University Medical Center is shown in this file photo. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll)
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By Joseph Ostapiuk | [email protected]
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton experienced a recent ransomware attack that has triggered an ongoing network outage at the hospital, an official said.
The extent of the breach, which has crippled online services at the over-470 bed facility, is not currently clear. The hospital is now working to both ascertain which information may have been vulnerable and bring its systems back online.
“Our investigation into this incident and any potential impact to hospital information is ongoing,” said Alex Lutz, a RUMC spokesman. “We are working alongside third party cybersecurity experts to investigate and restore full functionality to our systems.”
The attack is causing a trove of complications at the facility, said a staff member at the hospital who was granted anonymity to talk freely about the issue. Intermittent outages began on Friday, the employee said, before the outage fully took hold over the weekend.
Connectivity disruptions have caused the need for data to be entered manually and nurses to individually monitor patients, according to the staff member.
Cyber attacks against hospitals have evolved in recent years, threatening the ability of medical facilities to provide patient care, said the American Hospital Association’s Center for Health Innovation. The heightened frequency and sophistication of those data strikes has raised calls for increased protections at hospitals, the organization said.
Ransomware is a malicious software used to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. It is unclear if RUMC has been offered a specific ransom or if the hospital intends to pay to have the system freed.
RUMC said it is still operating with full services, including in its emergency department, continuing to admit patients and complete outpatient, inpatient and surgical services.
“As a result of our proactive containment measures, disruptions have been limited with the exception of overnight trauma and stroke services,” said Lutz. “We continue to provide the same level of high quality care that RUMC is known for.”
Published: May. 11, 2023, 2:47 p.m.
RUMC suffers ransomware attack, unclear if patient information compromised
The exterior of Richmond University Medical Center is shown in this file photo. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll)
114
shares
By Joseph Ostapiuk | [email protected]
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton experienced a recent ransomware attack that has triggered an ongoing network outage at the hospital, an official said.
The extent of the breach, which has crippled online services at the over-470 bed facility, is not currently clear. The hospital is now working to both ascertain which information may have been vulnerable and bring its systems back online.
“Our investigation into this incident and any potential impact to hospital information is ongoing,” said Alex Lutz, a RUMC spokesman. “We are working alongside third party cybersecurity experts to investigate and restore full functionality to our systems.”
The attack is causing a trove of complications at the facility, said a staff member at the hospital who was granted anonymity to talk freely about the issue. Intermittent outages began on Friday, the employee said, before the outage fully took hold over the weekend.
Connectivity disruptions have caused the need for data to be entered manually and nurses to individually monitor patients, according to the staff member.
Cyber attacks against hospitals have evolved in recent years, threatening the ability of medical facilities to provide patient care, said the American Hospital Association’s Center for Health Innovation. The heightened frequency and sophistication of those data strikes has raised calls for increased protections at hospitals, the organization said.
Ransomware is a malicious software used to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. It is unclear if RUMC has been offered a specific ransom or if the hospital intends to pay to have the system freed.
RUMC said it is still operating with full services, including in its emergency department, continuing to admit patients and complete outpatient, inpatient and surgical services.
“As a result of our proactive containment measures, disruptions have been limited with the exception of overnight trauma and stroke services,” said Lutz. “We continue to provide the same level of high quality care that RUMC is known for.”
