State regulator watching Scripps Health ransomware attack closely
A view of Scripps Memorial Hospital in Hillcrest on Monday, May 3, 2021.
(Sandy Huffaker/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Patient care continues at impacted hospitals as others take up the slack
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The California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday, May 5, that it is monitoring the ransomware attack that has severely impacted Scripps Health facilities throughout San Diego County, but has thus far determined that emergency procedures under way since Saturday, May 1, have been adequate to ensure patients are safe.
The agency, which oversees all hospitals in the state, said that Scripps notified it of the “ransomware attacks” and that it is “actively monitoring” the situation.
Scripps Health s Cyber Outage Caused By ‘Ransomware Attacks : Cal. Dept. of Public Health Eric S. Page
Scripps Mercy Hospital
On Friday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) described the ongoing situation at Scripps Heath as a case of ransomware attacks.
Ransomware typically works by introducing software that encrypts a user s data and holds the decryption key until the ransom is paid. Once that happens, a typical recourse is to reformat and restore the system from backups, a SDSU cyber warfare and cyber terrorism expert Steven Andrés told NBC in 2018
The local health-care provider, which operates five hospitals in San Diego, along with a series of clinics, was hit by a cyberattack over the weekend. Patients and staffers have been unable to access records, email and other technology for six days.
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The California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that it is monitoring the ransomware attack that has severely impacted Scripps Health facilities throughout San Diego County, but has thus far determined that emergency procedures under way since Saturday have been adequate to ensure patients are safe.
The agency, which oversees all hospitals in the state, said that Scripps notified it of the “ransomware attacks” and that it is “actively monitoring” the situation.
“These hospitals are operational and caring for patients using appropriate emergency protocols in inpatient areas of the hospital,” a statement said.
CDPH further noted that it has the authority to “involuntarily suspend” the licenses of facilities if it determines that the care being provided is unsafe. However, the mere fact that a hospital is operating under “emergency protocols” does not, in and of itself, “warrant such action.”
San Diego health care provider Scripps Health struck by ransomware attack
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Scripps Health, a San Diego, California-based health care provider, has been hit by a ransomware attack that took its systems taken offline.
The ransomware attack was detected on May 1 and affected computer systems inside at least two hospitals as well as taking its website and related services offline. The exact details of the form of ransomware attack have not been disclosed but its services remain offline.
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, the attack also took medical records down, forcing medical personnel to use paper records. Also telemetry, the electronic monitoring of patient vital signs within hospitals, is also said to be down at most sites.