Preparedness for Hospital Ransomware Attacks

Posted by Margot M on September 7th, 2023 Posted in: Communities of Interest
Tags: Emergency Preparedness (EPP), hospital librarians

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According to Becker’s Health IT, at least 15 hospital systems were targeted with ransomware attacks in the first six months of 2023. The impact on electronic medical records is significant. Less recognized is the impact on hospital library services.

Nearly two years ago, Region 7 offered a webinar to prepare medical librarians initiate plans for responding to ransomware attacks. Steve Long, CEO of Hancock Health in Greenfield, IN, shared his experiences with mobilizing disaster response procedures after a ransomware attack in 2018. Hackers used compromised account credentials to target a server located in the hospital’s emergency IT backup facility. This caused havoc with critical information systems.

Alice Stokes, Research and Education Librarian at the University of Vermont, detailed ways that library services were impacted by a ransomware attack on the University of Vermont Health Network in Burlington, VT on October 28, 2020.

Impact on Libraries: Review the Recording

As part of Preparedness Month 2023, we invite you to review the recording. The impact on libraries starts around the 29:00 minute mark.

Ransomware: Selected Resources

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency #StopRansomware Guides in English and Spanish. These guides are from the United States Department of Homeland Security, updated in May 2023. The guides are IT resources and may be of interest to librarians working closely with IT.

Cyber Security Guidance Material for Health Information Privacy. This website from the United States Department of Health and Human Services contains links to HIPAA checklists and ransomware guidance, last reviewed in July 2023. This information will inform librarians about best practices for hospital systems after a cyberattack.

Disruption of Library Hospital Services due to Hospital Cyberattack: A Case Study. An article from Alice Stokes (UVM Health) about the experience at the Dana Medical Library in October 2020.

This week! Creating a One-Page Disaster Plan. Webinar with Dan Wilson, co-author of the book Library as Safe Haven, Disaster Planning, Recovery, and Response. Join Dan on Thu, Sept 14 and learn how you can prepare for disasters.