Ohio Hospital ER Hit With Ransomware

Cybersecurity experts know that it’s only a matter of time before a cyber incident leads directly to loss of life. While that may have already happened somewhere in the world, it came too close for comfort at an Ohio hospital. Over the weekend, a ransomeware attack on critical computer systems sent ambulances away from East Ohio Regional Hospital and Ohio Valley Medical Center. The attack aimed directly for the Emergency Room admittance computers, forcing the hospital to divert patients with potentially life-threatening injuries to other hospitals. The good news is that the hack only impacted patients enroute to the hospital and walk-in patients were able to check in. Still, hacks like this demonstrate just how fragile our infrastructure, and physical safety, is at the hands of cyber-criminals.