WMCHealth Faces Grave Cybersecurity Threat: Systems Down

New York’s Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) has announced the restoration of its online systems following a week of disruptions due to a cyberattack.

On October 16th, HealthAlliance Hospital, Margaretville Hospital, and the Mountainside Residential Care Center grappled with a “potential cybersecurity threat and an IT system outage.” Consequently, all three medical institutions ceased patient admissions for a week. Furthermore, from October 14th to 17th, ambulances were no longer directed to the hospitals, though the network did not clarify whether this diversion was related to the incident. The hospitals’ telecommunication systems, email services, and internet functionalities were disabled.

To reinstate the network, Westchester Medical Center Health Network shut down all related IT systems across the three facilities on the evening of October 20th. By the evening of October 21st, the institutions announced full operational restoration and resumed patient admissions. However, patients displaying stroke symptoms will temporarily be redirected to other regional hospitals. The specifics of the incident remain undisclosed.

Throughout the week, regional residents expressed their anxiety over the situation. Despite initial assurances that patient care continued uninterrupted, some residents reported challenges in accessing medical assistance.

The hospital also notified the FBI and the New York State Department of Health about the incident. An investigation is underway, led by an undisclosed third-party cybersecurity firm.

According to research from the University of Minnesota, mortality rates in hospitals increased by 20-35% for patients admitted during ransomware attacks. This issue has even reached the U.S. Congress, where a recent hearing addressed cyberattacks targeting medical institutions.