Subj : Ascension healthcare giant forced to take systems offline followi
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Thu May 09 2024 17:30:06

Ascension healthcare giant forced to take systems offline following 
cyberattack

Date:
Thu, 09 May 2024 16:23:04 +0000

Description:
Healthcare firm also urges business partners to disconnect from Ascension 
networks as it investigates the incident.

FULL STORY
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American private healthcare giant Ascension suffered a cyber-incursion that 
forced the company to take parts of its IT infrastructure offline. 

In a network interruption update posted on its company website, Ascension 
said it detected unusual activity on some of its network systems, which it 
later described as a cyber security event. When a company is forced to take 
systems offline due to a cyberattack, its usually a victim of ransomware . 

While Ascension did not describe the nature of the incident, given that it 
also suggested that some data may have been stolen, it all points to the 
attack being ransomware. Disrupted activities 

Ascension added it activated its incident response plan, notified relevant 
authorities, and brought in Google Mandiant experts to investigate . 

Together, we are working to fully investigate what information, if any, may 
have been affected by the situation, the notification reads. Should we 
determine that any sensitive information was affected, we will notify and 
support those individuals in accordance with all relevant regulatory and 
legal guidelines. 

Shutting parts of the network down might affect its day-to-day operations to 
some extent, Ascension also added, without elaborating further: 

Our care teams are trained for these kinds of disruptions and have initiated 
procedures to ensure patient care delivery continues to be safe and as 
minimally impacted as possible. There has been a disruption to clinical 
operations. 

The companys business partners are advised to temporarily suspend the 
connection to the Ascension environment out of an abundance of caution, it 
said. 

Ascension is one of the largest non-profit healthcare systems in the United 
States, operating hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities across 
the United States. It provides a wide range of medical services including 
primary care, specialty care, and hospital-based care. It operates 140 
hospitals, 40 senior care facilities, and employs 8,500 providers. Its 
revenue for 2023, according to BleepingComputer , was $28.3 billion. More 
from TechRadar Pro Change Healthcare hit by major cyberattack  US health tech 
giant sees website taken offline, login pages unavailable Here's a list of 
the best firewalls around today These are the best endpoint security tools 
right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/ascension-healthcare-giant-forced-to-ta
ke-systems-offline-following-cyberattack


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