A cyberattack has struck the American healthcare giant Ascension.

A cyberattack occurred in the United States on one of the largest private medical organizations – Ascension, which ranked second in the country for the number of hospitals in 2019. This incident caused significant disruptions in the operations of various healthcare facilities. The attack targeted the software system for managing electronic medical records, as well as the MyChart service, which allows patients to access their medical information and communicate with doctors. Operations in some hospitals were also disrupted due to issues with phone systems and the systems used for ordering medical tests, procedures, and medications.

Strange operations in the Ascension network were detected on May 8, after which the organization realized it was facing a cyberattack. In response to the events, Ascension's management initiated an investigation involving computer forensics experts and is striving for a swift resolution of the attack's consequences and the restoration of system functionality.

At this time, the health organization has decided to suspend the execution of non-essential and scheduled procedures, as well as tests and appointments. The notification about the cyber incident states:“We implemented established protocols and procedures to respond to the system failures that occurred, in order to continue providing safe patient care.”Due to disruptions in the operations of several medical institutions, some of them are temporarily redirecting emergency cases for processing regardless of the situation.

Details regarding the attack itself are not disclosed in the notification, and it is still unknown whether any information was stolen. However, the scale of the security breach and the corresponding response measures taken by the company suggest that it is likely a cyberattack involving ransomware. For up-to-date information, follow me on Twitter:@securityaffairsand also on Facebook and Mastodon –Pierluigi Paganini (SecurityAffairs – hacking, Healthcare).