Ascension hacked

Ascension, ‎one‏ ‎of ‎the ‎largest ‎non-profit ‎Catholic‏ ‎health ‎systems‏ ‎in‏ ‎the ‎United ‎States,‏ ‎has ‎recently‏ ‎suffered ‎a ‎significant ‎cyberattack‏ ‎impacting‏ ‎its ‎operations‏ ‎across ‎140‏ ‎hospitals ‎in ‎19 ‎states. ‎The‏ ‎attack‏ ‎was ‎detected‏ ‎on ‎Wednesday,‏ ‎and ‎it ‎has ‎caused ‎widespread‏ ‎disruptions‏ ‎to‏ ‎clinical ‎operations‏ ‎and ‎patient‏ ‎care.

📌Overview ‎of‏ ‎the‏ ‎Cyberattack

The ‎cyberattack‏ ‎on ‎Ascension ‎was ‎first ‎noticed‏ ‎due ‎to‏ ‎«unusual‏ ‎activity» ‎on ‎select‏ ‎technology ‎systems.‏ ‎It ‎has ‎led ‎to‏ ‎the‏ ‎shutdown ‎of‏ ‎electronic ‎health‏ ‎records, ‎patient ‎communication ‎portals ‎like‏ ‎MyChart,‏ ‎and ‎various‏ ‎systems ‎used‏ ‎for ‎ordering ‎tests, ‎procedures, ‎and‏ ‎medications.‏ ‎This‏ ‎disruption ‎has‏ ‎forced ‎the‏ ‎healthcare ‎provider‏ ‎to‏ ‎revert ‎to‏ ‎manual ‎systems ‎for ‎patient ‎care,‏ ‎reminiscent ‎of‏ ‎pre-digital‏ ‎times.

📌Impact ‎on ‎Patient‏ ‎Care

The ‎cyberattack‏ ‎has ‎severely ‎impacted ‎patient‏ ‎care‏ ‎across ‎Ascension’s‏ ‎network. ‎Ambulances‏ ‎have ‎been ‎diverted, ‎and ‎non-emergent‏ ‎elective‏ ‎procedures ‎have‏ ‎been ‎temporarily‏ ‎suspended ‎to ‎prioritize ‎urgent ‎care.‏ ‎Patients‏ ‎have‏ ‎been ‎advised‏ ‎to ‎bring‏ ‎detailed ‎notes‏ ‎about‏ ‎their ‎symptoms‏ ‎and ‎a ‎list ‎of ‎medications‏ ‎to ‎their‏ ‎appointments.

📌Root‏ ‎cause

The ‎type ‎of‏ ‎cyberattack ‎has‏ ‎been ‎identified ‎as ‎a‏ ‎ransomware‏ ‎attack, ‎specifically‏ ‎linked ‎to‏ ‎the ‎Black ‎Basta ‎ransomware ‎group.‏ ‎Black‏ ‎Basta ‎ransomware‏ ‎typically ‎infiltrates‏ ‎networks ‎through ‎methods ‎such ‎as‏ ‎phishing‏ ‎emails,‏ ‎exploiting ‎software‏ ‎vulnerabilities, ‎or‏ ‎using ‎compromised‏ ‎credentials.

📌RaaS

Black‏ ‎Basta ‎is‏ ‎a ‎ransomware-as-a-service ‎(RaaS) ‎group ‎that‏ ‎emerged ‎in‏ ‎early‏ ‎2022 ‎and ‎has‏ ‎been ‎linked‏ ‎to ‎several ‎high-profile ‎attacks.‏ ‎The‏ ‎group ‎is‏ ‎known ‎for‏ ‎its ‎double ‎extortion ‎tactics, ‎which‏ ‎involve‏ ‎encrypting ‎the‏ ‎victim’s ‎data‏ ‎and ‎threatening ‎to ‎release ‎it‏ ‎publicly‏ ‎if‏ ‎the ‎ransom‏ ‎is ‎not‏ ‎paid. ‎This‏ ‎group‏ ‎has ‎targeted‏ ‎various ‎sectors, ‎including ‎healthcare, ‎indicating‏ ‎a ‎pattern‏ ‎of‏ ‎attacks ‎against ‎organizations‏ ‎with ‎critical‏ ‎infrastructure.

📌Entry ‎Points

Entry ‎point ‎or‏ ‎vulnerability‏ ‎exploited ‎by‏ ‎the ‎attackers‏ ‎includes ‎initial ‎access ‎through ‎phishing,‏ ‎exploitation‏ ‎of ‎public-facing‏ ‎applications, ‎the‏ ‎use ‎of ‎previously ‎compromised ‎credentials‏ ‎to‏ ‎gain‏ ‎deeper ‎access‏ ‎to ‎the‏ ‎network.

📌Broader ‎Implications

This‏ ‎incident‏ ‎is ‎part‏ ‎of ‎a ‎larger ‎trend ‎of‏ ‎increasing ‎cyberattacks‏ ‎on‏ ‎healthcare ‎systems, ‎which‏ ‎are ‎particularly‏ ‎vulnerable ‎due ‎to ‎the‏ ‎critical‏ ‎nature ‎of‏ ‎their ‎services‏ ‎and ‎the ‎valuable ‎data ‎they‏ ‎hold.‏ ‎The ‎attack‏ ‎on ‎Ascension‏ ‎highlights ‎the ‎ongoing ‎challenges ‎and‏ ‎the‏ ‎need‏ ‎for ‎robust‏ ‎cybersecurity ‎measures‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎healthcare‏ ‎sector.

📌Response ‎to‏ ‎the ‎Cyberattack

Ascension ‎has ‎engaged ‎Mandiant,‏ ‎a ‎cybersecurity‏ ‎firm‏ ‎and ‎Google ‎subsidiary,‏ ‎to ‎assist‏ ‎in ‎the ‎investigation ‎and‏ ‎remediation‏ ‎process. ‎The‏ ‎focus ‎is‏ ‎on ‎investigating ‎the ‎breach, ‎containing‏ ‎it,‏ ‎and ‎restoring‏ ‎the ‎affected‏ ‎systems. ‎However, ‎there ‎is ‎currently‏ ‎no‏ ‎timeline‏ ‎for ‎when‏ ‎systems ‎will‏ ‎be ‎fully‏ ‎operational‏ ‎again.