As another detrimental cyberattack, coined NotPetya, wreaks havoc across the globe, organizations are hoping their security measures are enough to keep them from falling victim. Unfortunately for Princeton Community Hospital in West Virginia, their security measures were not enough, resulting in NotPetya destroying their entire computer network. An article on Fox Business explains the attack that occurred and what the hospital will need to do to get back on their feet.
NotPetya infected the hospitals network by freezing their electronic medical record (EMR) system. The freeze prevented doctors from accessing their patient’s medical records as well as prevented the sending of lab and pharmacy orders, according to Rose Morgan, vice president of patient care services for the hospital.
Through consulting with cybersecurity experts and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the hospital concluded they would have to replace the system. At no point was the hospital given the option to pay a ransom.
Not only did the cyberattack affect the network, it also impacted how the hospital would conduct daily functions until a new system was up and running. Nurses and doctors were forced to take notes, order medications and perform other tasks by hand.
Departments dependent on computers such as human resources and finance were completely unable to function as a result of the attack.
NotPetya infected at least two additional hospitals owned by Heritage Valley Health System in Pennsylvania. NotPetya also infected other large corporations such as Merck & Co.
According to Ms. Morgan, once Princeton Community Hospital has their new network in place, patient records will be restored from backup files after they are checked to ensure they do not contain malware.
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