Clinics redirect patients to other health facilities.
At least 6 health facilities owned by the Ardent Health Services (AHS) network reported "network outages." The ransomware attack forced medical centers to redirect emergency department patients to other facilities.
The problem was particularly acute at Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, where emergency personnel and patients entering the emergency department were diverted to other facilities. A hospital spokesperson said the redirection was caused by a cyberattack, and the hospital's management company Ardent Health Services confirmed this information. However, the hospital assured that the Mountainside Medical Center's emergency department continues to function and the quality of patient care has not been affected.
According to Ardent Health, the cyber incident was discovered on Thursday, November 23, on Thanksgiving Day. The company took data protection measures and turned off the network. Third-party specialists were involved, and now work is underway to restore the network. Ardent Health also reported the cyberattack to law enforcement. At the moment, the network has not yet been fully restored. The investigation and restoration of access to electronic medical records and other clinical systems continues.
Ardent Health acknowledged that it could not confirm whether patients medical or financial data was compromised. Danahi warned that both current and former patients should be prepared for possible notifications from the hospital about information theft. Details about who or what caused the cyber incident are still unknown.
Before AHS publicly acknowledged the attack, a Reddit user claiming to be an employee of one of Ardent's businesses claimed that the attack was carried out by the Black Suit ransomware program. However, the AHS name is currently missing from the Black Suit website. It is known that the Black Suit ransomware program is a rebranding of the Royal Ransomware ransomware.
Ardent Health Services is a leading healthcare provider in the United States. Through its subsidiaries, Ardent owns and operates 30 hospitals and more than 200 healthcare facilities, employing more than 1,300 service providers in six states.
At least 6 health facilities owned by the Ardent Health Services (AHS) network reported "network outages." The ransomware attack forced medical centers to redirect emergency department patients to other facilities.
The problem was particularly acute at Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, where emergency personnel and patients entering the emergency department were diverted to other facilities. A hospital spokesperson said the redirection was caused by a cyberattack, and the hospital's management company Ardent Health Services confirmed this information. However, the hospital assured that the Mountainside Medical Center's emergency department continues to function and the quality of patient care has not been affected.
According to Ardent Health, the cyber incident was discovered on Thursday, November 23, on Thanksgiving Day. The company took data protection measures and turned off the network. Third-party specialists were involved, and now work is underway to restore the network. Ardent Health also reported the cyberattack to law enforcement. At the moment, the network has not yet been fully restored. The investigation and restoration of access to electronic medical records and other clinical systems continues.
Ardent Health acknowledged that it could not confirm whether patients medical or financial data was compromised. Danahi warned that both current and former patients should be prepared for possible notifications from the hospital about information theft. Details about who or what caused the cyber incident are still unknown.
Before AHS publicly acknowledged the attack, a Reddit user claiming to be an employee of one of Ardent's businesses claimed that the attack was carried out by the Black Suit ransomware program. However, the AHS name is currently missing from the Black Suit website. It is known that the Black Suit ransomware program is a rebranding of the Royal Ransomware ransomware.
Ardent Health Services is a leading healthcare provider in the United States. Through its subsidiaries, Ardent owns and operates 30 hospitals and more than 200 healthcare facilities, employing more than 1,300 service providers in six states.
