Campbell County Health in Gillette, WY, has experienced a ransomware attack that has shut down hospital systems and is preventing access to patient data. The attack took place in the early hours of Friday September 20, 2019 according to the Department of Health.
An investigation into the attack has been initiated and attempts are ongoing to remove the ransomware, restore encrypted files, and bring systems back online; however, at the time of publishing, Campbell County Health is continuing to suffer major disruption to medical services.
Campbell County Health reports that all of its systems have been impacted. At this stage, no proof has been uncovered to suggest patient information has been subjected to unauthorized access or improperly used.
The Emergency Department, Maternal Child (OB) department, and the Walk-In Clinic remain open and staff are available for patients. Transfers to different facilities will be arranged, if appropriate, and the County’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has extra ambulances to meet demand. Patients already receiving care are being looked after and individuals who receive a higher level of care will be moved to other facilities.
The cyberattack has been reported all relevant authorities, including the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security. At this stage it is not obvious how the ransomware was downloaded to the systems, whether file recovery is possible, or if the ransom demand will be met.
Campbell County Health is not able to supply an ETA when all services will return to normal. The telephone system is now back up and running and regular updates on the attack and the status of patient services are being shared on the Campbell County Health website.
The attack is the most recent in a string of ransomware attacks on healthcare clinics, cities, municipalities and government bodies.