Tri-City Healthcare impacted by ransomware, shuts down emergency ops
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Tri-City Healthcare, based in North County San Diego is reporting that they are impacted by a ransomware attack, leading to a suspension of its ability to admit patients on Thursday.
Tri-City declared an Internal Disaster Diversion in collaboration with San Diego County's Office of Emergency Services.
In practical terms, this declaration signifies that the hospital is unable to receive patients through the 911 system due to a severe disruption in its capacity to provide medical services. Ambulances are being redirected to alternative hospitals, and any pending medical procedures and appointments must be rescheduled.
The hospital is presently still attending to walk-in patients experiencing emergencies, although the duration of the issue's resolution remains uncertain.
The specific nature of the breach is not detailed, and there is no information whether the attack has compromised data of individuals.
An Internal Disaster Diversion can be initiated for various reasons, including structural failures, infrastructure issues, disruptions, or threats to health and safety, as per an update to the county's health and safety code in July 2021.
Tri-City's had detected a security breach at approximately 7 a.m. on 9th of November. Subsequently, internal and external internet technicians, in conjunction with unidentified law enforcement experts, have been actively investigating the breach.
Update - The Tri-City Medical Center, after recovering from a ransomware attack is now facing ongoing extortion efforts. A cybersecurity expert recently reported on Twitter that "INC RANSOM," a notorious cyber extortion group, has claimed possession of records stolen from the hospital and posted them on the dark web. This post includes eight printed pages as "proof," presumably from Tri-City, containing patient names, phone numbers, and financial records, but the total number of records compromised is unclear.
The documents posted don't necessarily indicate that hackers accessed Tri-City’s electronic medical records system. Hackers can obtain personal information without breaching medical record databases, as seen in the 2021 Scripps Health incident where patient details were compromised but medical records remained secure.
