14 DAY TRIAL // The largest hospital in New Jersey has recently confirmed that hackers managed to break into its network and infect computers with ransomware.
Hackensack Meridian Health said it was eventually forced to pay the ransom to hackers to regain control of its systems, but hospital representatives did not disclose how much the malicious actors requested to unlock the files.
However, Hackensack Meridian Health says it holds an insurance coverage for such incidents.
No patient or staff information was extracted, the hospital revealed in a statement, but some surgeries were rescheduled. Doctors and nurses worked without any computer-assisted equipment, as the attack crippled absolutely all systems.
Data restoring in progress
“Our network’s primary clinical systems are operational, and our IT teams continue working diligently to bring all applications back online safely. Based on our investigation to date, we have no indication that any patient or team member information has been subject to unauthorized access or disclosure,” a statement released by the hospital reads.
“Due to the extraordinary efforts of our physicians, nurses, and clinical teams, patient safety was not compromised. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our patients. The safety and care of our patients remains our priority."
At this point, it’s still not known how the ransomware, which restricts access to the device and files stored locally until a ransom is paid, reached its devices or how hackers broke into the network.
Hackensack Meridian Health said evidence of the attack was first discovered on December 2, and staff was still working on restoring access to some systems. However, critical services were already up and running in the majority of clinics and hospitals that it operates.
The hospital says it has already reached out to the FBI and is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach.