Extortionists demanded a ransom of $3.4 million following a cyber attack on a children’s hospital in Chicago, resulting in the disconnecting of specialized equipment crucial for patient care.
The breach at Children’s Hospital Lurie was disclosed in early February, prompting the shutdown of IT systems due to the attack, causing disruptions in normal operations and delays in medical services.
While no extortion group initially claimed responsibility for the attack, the Rhysida group recently claimed on the darknet that they were behind the breach at Lurie. The group is reportedly attempting to sell the stolen data for 60 BTC, amounting to over $3.4 million.
Despite the cyber incident, the hospital remains committed to delivering medical services, working to minimize disruptions. Issues such as delays in scheduled procedures, unavailability of ultrasound and CT scan results, and paper-based prescription issuance have been reported. Hospital operations are prioritizing emergency cases and working diligently to return to normalcy. According to the most recent data as of February 22, restoration efforts for the hospital’s systems are ongoing, and the MyChart electronic records system continues to be offline.
Patients and their families have been notified that manual processes are in place for patient care services due to the incident, leading to longer wait times for medication prescriptions.
Lurie Children’s Hospital is a prominent pediatric medical facility in the United States, boasting 360 beds, over 1,665 physicians from 70 specialties, and approximately 4,000 medical staff. The hospital serves more than 200,000 children annually.