Universal Health Services (UHS), one of the largest healthcare providers in the US, has shut down its healthcare facilities after a cyber-attack.
Universal Health Services (UHS), one of the largest healthcare providers in the US, has shut down its healthcare facilities after a cyber-attack.
UHS has more than 90,000 employees that operate over 400 healthcare facilities in the US and the UK providing healthcare services to approximately 3.5 million patients each year.
According to the UHS employees, the ransomware attack took place on the night between September 26 to 2, at around 2:00 am CT.
UHS hospitals in the US, including those from Florida, California, Arizona, Texas and Washington, are left without access to computer and phone systems.
The computer screens suddenly went down and showed a ransom note on the screen. Everyone was told to turn off the computers and not to go on again.
Universal Health Services posted on its website that the IT network across its facilities was offline due to “an IT security issue.”
According to the statement, no patient or employee data appears to have been compromised.
“We implement extensive IT security protocols and are working diligently with our IT security partners to restore IT operations as soon as possible, ” reads the statement. “In the meantime, our facilities are using their established back-up processes, including offline documentation methods.”
“I work at an inpatient psych site in Philly, PA. The nurses told me they asked the patients what they take for morning meds and then didn't even distribute evening meds because they have no record of their medications. I had to handwrite all my notes from photocopies of the note format and look through the charts for each treatment goal. It was a nightmare," wrote a user named rebeIduckling.
Some patients in need of surgery are relocated, and emergencies are redirected to other hospitals after UHS facilities were unable to carry out lab work.
The cyberattack is thought to have employed Ryuk ransomware as the computer screens changed the text that referenced the “shadow universe” which is consistent with the Ryuk ransomware.
Earlier this month , a ransomware attack affecting a German hospital led to the death of a woman when she had to be moved to another facility.
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