Ascension Health Cybersecurity Incident: An Ongoing Battle Against Malicious Attacks in the Healthcare Sector

On Wednesday, Ascension Health announced that they may have experienced a cybersecurity incident leading to disruptions in clinical operations. The health care system detected unusual activity on select technology network systems on Wednesday, May 8, which they believe was caused by a cybersecurity event.

The affected facilities include St. Vincent’s Birmingham, St. Vincent’s Blount, St. Vincent’s Chilton, St. Vincent’s East, St. Vincent’s St. Clair, and St. Vincent’s One Nineteen. Ascension Health has initiated an investigation and activated remediation efforts in response to the incident. Some systems have been interrupted as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Companies that work with Ascension Health were advised to temporarily disconnect from their environment until further notice. The health care system has engaged the services of a third-party expert, Mandiant, to assist with the investigation.

The care teams at these facilities are trained to handle such disruptions and have implemented procedures to ensure patient care delivery remains safe and minimally impacted.

Ascension Health is working to determine if any sensitive information has been affected by the situation. If it is determined that sensitive information was compromised, they will notify and provide support to those individuals in accordance with regulatory and legal guidelines.

As a result of this incident, patients who were scheduled for appointments or procedures at any of the affected facilities may experience delays or cancellations.

Ascension Health is taking all necessary steps to restore normal operations as quickly as possible while also ensuring patient safety remains a top priority.

It is unclear what caused the cybersecurity event or if it was an intentional act of malice towards the healthcare organization.

The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as soon as it becomes available.