FBI Investigating Ransomware Attack on RI Hospital Group

FBI Investigating Ransomware Attack on RI Hospital Group

CharterCARE — the third largest hospital group in Rhode Island — has been hit by hackers and demands for ransomware.

“Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. recently experienced a data security incident that has disrupted our operations. Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” said Otis Brown of CharterCARE in a statement to GoLocal.

The cyber attack began on Wednesday night.

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The FBI is investigating the cyberattack.

“While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible,” added Brown.

 

Healthcare Security in Focus

CharterCARE is owned by Prospect Medical Holdings and it owns hospitals in multiple other states and it reports that those other facilities are also impacted. 

“This incident is a firm reminder that cybersecurity threats pose a real risk for healthcare organizations across the nation. Prospect Medical Holdings is not the first health system that has been targeted by bad actors and, unfortunately, it will not be the last. We are working with investigators and law enforcement agencies to address this urgent situation,” adds Brown.

“CharterCARE hospitals continue to accept patients, including walk-ins through the emergency departments. Scheduled surgical procedures remain as planned unless patients are notified by their physician’s office,” said the statement.

According to Becker’s, in an article published on June 1, “Since the start of 2023, 15 healthcare systems operating 29 hospitals have been targeted by a ransomware incident, BankInfoSecurity reported May 31.”

“Security firm Emsisoft said that during these ransomware attacks, data was stolen from 12 of the 15 organizations,” writes Becker’s

"While hospitals tend to downplay the impact of cyberattacks, they do represent a very real risk to patient safety — and that's perhaps especially true when patients in need of emergency care are redirected," Brett Callow, threat analyst at Emsisoft, told the publication.

"The average cost of a breach is now $7 million. In the first 60 days of 2023, 5.5 million patients had their private health information involved in a cyberattack," writes David Ting in Chief Healthcare Executive.

Care New England was hacked in 2020 -- Rhode Island's second-largest hospital group.