Blue Springs Family Care in Missouri was hit by a ransomware attack that compromised the information of nearly 45,000 patients.
The hospital's computer vendor discovered the attack on May 12 and promptly notified the FBI and Blue Springs Police Department. It also hired a forensic IT company to help quarantine the affected systems and install software to monitor whether any unauthorized person was accessing the system, according to KCUR 89.3.
Fortunately, the medical center was able to avoid paying the ransom and regained access to its systems by using backups, and has essentially been able to rebuild its systems from scratch.
Officials said they have no evidence of patient information been used by unauthorized individuals, adding that the number of affected patients was so large because it included medical records going back 10 years -- a requirement in the medical practice.
