Ransomware attack on health giant Ascension hits 5.6 million patients


A May ransomware attack on Ascension, a U.S. healthcare giant with more than 140 hospitals and dozens of senior living facilities, allowed hackers to steal personal and sensitive health information on 5.6 million patients, according to a new filing with Maine’s attorney general.

The cyberattack caused widespread disruption across its hospital system, with some staff describing harrowing lapses in healthcare as a result, including delayed or lost lab results, and medication errors. The Black Basta gang was blamed for the attack, which saw the group steal patients’ medical information, like dates of service, lab tests, and procedure codes; payment information, such as credit card and bank account numbers.

Read more…
Source: TechCrunch News


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • Senators say US military is failing to secure its phones from foreign spies

    December 4, 2024

    Two U.S. senators are accusing the Department of Defense (DOD) of not doing enough to protect the communications of its military personnel, as the U.S. government contends with an ongoing Chinese hacking campaign targeting American phone and internet giants. The senators say the Department of Defense still relies too heavily on old-fashioned landline calls, and unencrypted ...

  • NCA disrupts $multi-billion Russian money laundering networks with links to, drugs, ransomware and espionage, resulting in 84 arrests

    December 4, 2024

    An international NCA-led investigation – Operation Destabilise – has exposed and disrupted Russian money laundering networks supporting serious and organised crime around the world: spanning from the streets of the UK, to the Middle East, Russia, and South America. Investigators have identified two Russian-speaking networks collaborating at the heart of the criminal enterprise; Smart and TGR. ...

  • Enhanced Visibility and Hardening Guidance for Communications Infrastructure

    December 3, 2024

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD’s) Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), Canadian Cyber Security Centre (CCCS), and New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ) warn that People’s Republic of China (PRC)-affiliated threat actors compromised networks of major global telecommunications providers to ...

  • No company too small for Phobos ransomware gang, indictment reveals

    December 2, 2024

    The US Department of Justice has charged a Russian national named Evgenii Ptitsyn with selling, operating, and distributing a ransomware variant known as “Phobos” during a four-year cybercriminal campaign that extorted at least $16 million from victims across the world. The government’s indictment against Ptitsyn should dispel any notion that ransomware gangs only target the largest, ...

  • Exxon lobbyist investigated over hack-and-leak of environmentalist emails

    November 27, 2024

    The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor’s alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter. The operation involved mercenary hackers who successfully breached the email accounts of environmental activists and others, the sources told Reuters. ...

  • Ransomware attack on Blue Yonder disrupts Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons

    November 27, 2024

    Starbucks has confirmed that a ransomware attack on software supplier Blue Yonder has disrupted its internal systems for managing employee schedules and tracking work hours. The incident has primarily affected Starbucks’ North American operations, including approximately 11,000 stores across the United States and Canada. Starbucks says the cyberattack has compromised its ability to track baristas’ hours ...