HITTING WHERE IT HURTS

Ransomware Took Out New Jersey Hospital Heath Network for Five Days

Hackensack Meridian Health would not say how much it paid the hackers to regain control of their system.

A ransomware attack affected New Jersey’s largest hospital health network for almost five days last week, NJ.com reports. Hackensack Meridian Health confirmed the attack on its information technology systems on Friday, and said about 100 elective surgeries had to be rescheduled. Besides the surgeries, the network said “patient safety was not compromised” and patient information was not accessed or disclosed during the incident. NJ.com was told about a ransomware attack last week that had affected “anything with computer software” at the hospital network, but Hackensack Meridian Health said it couldn't disclose the attack until now upon the “advice of national experts” and developments in their investigation. The network reportedly declined to say how much it paid the hackers to regain control over its systems. This comes after 948 ransomeware attacks were reported in the U.S. in 2019 against heath care providers, school districts, and government agencies. On Friday, hackers also reportedly attacked New Orleans City Hall.