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
Related:
- FBI issues warning against using Chinese manufactured drones
February 21, 2024
Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, continue to pose a significant risk to critical infrastructure and U.S. national security, according to an FBI advisory. While any UAS could have vulnerabilities that enable data theft or facilitate network compromises, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has enacted laws that provide the government with ...
- Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation
February 20, 2024
In a significant breakthrough in the fight against cybercrime, law enforcement from 10 countries have disrupted the criminal operation of the LockBit ransomware group at every level, severely damaging their capability and credibility. LockBit is widely recognised as the world’s most prolific and harmful ransomware, causing billions of euros worth of damage. This international sweep follows ...
- U.S. conducted cyberattack on suspected Iranian spy ship
February 16, 2024
The United States recently conducted a cyberattack against an Iranian military ship that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to three U.S. officials. The operation was intended to inhibit the Iranian ship’s ability to share intelligence with Houthi rebels in Yemen who have been firing ...
- US military notifies 20,000 of data breach after cloud email leak
February 14, 2024
The U.S. Department of Defense is notifying tens of thousands of individuals that their personal information was exposed in an email data spill last year. According to the breach notification letter sent out to affected individuals on February 1, the Defense Intelligence Agency — the DOD’s military intelligence agency — said, “numerous email messages were inadvertently ...
- Prudential reveals it was hit by data breach
February 14, 2024
Hackers were able to break into one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States and stole sensitive employee and contractor data. Prudential Financial has filed an 8-K form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) detailing the attack, according to a report. As per the filing, unnamed threat actors accessed the networks ...
- State of Emergency: How Minnesota hospitals, state officials prepare for cyber attacks
February 13, 2024
The State of Minnesota stores and protects data on some six million residents, and that’s only one cache of sensitive information under the close watch of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT). “It’s everything from highways and highway traffic control systems, we run the zoo. We run everything in between,” John Israel, chief information security officer at MNIT, ...

