Last week, three hospitals affiliated with Prospect Medical Holdings, situated in different states across the United States, fell victim to a cyber attack, believed to be a ransomware variant. The attack occurred on Wednesday and was discovered in the early hours of Thursday, raising concerns that sensitive data might have been accessed and stolen by the hackers.
As soon as the healthcare services provider learned about the incidents, they promptly notified the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, initiating an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts.
In addition to the hospitals associated with Prospect Medical Holdings, which operates 16 hospitals and over 163 clinics in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas, the computer network of Charter CARE hospital was also affected by the attack.
Perpetrators behind such digital attacks target businesses that heavily rely on data for their operations. Healthcare networks, known for containing vast amounts of sensitive information such as patient profiles and medical histories, make lucrative targets for cybercriminals. These criminals capitalize on the situation by extorting victims for ransom payments and, subsequently, selling the stolen information on the dark web.
As of now, Cybersecurity Insiders has yet to receive confirmation from its sources regarding the identity of the attackers and whether the motive was purely monetary or had any political agenda.
Several healthcare institutions endured significant digital impact due to the attack, including the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the Nurses union at Crozer Chester Medical System in Springfield, Our Lady Fatima, and Roger Williams Medical Center of Rhode Island. Furthermore, only the digital infrastructure of the Emergency departments at Manchester Memorial and Rockville General in Connecticut were targeted in the recent attack. Fortunately, the IT staff of the hospital chain anticipates a full recovery from the incident by the upcoming weekend.
NOTE- In August 2023, Rhysida Ransomware Gang took responsibility of stealing over 500,000 social security numbers, patient information and corporate secrets from Prospect Medical Holdings.
