A major American hospital system has been hit with a cyberattack, causing its computer systems to go offline starting over the weekend, NBC News reports.
Universal Health Systems, the operator of more than 400 hospitals worldwide, with most in the US, started seeing computer problems this weekend. The attack continues to spread across its network, causing some hospitals to abandon the electronic system entirely and go back to paper record keeping.
The attack apparently has not impacted patient care or medication systems, but they have crippled the administrative and billing system. The UHS webpage notes that their network is “currently off-line, due to an IT security issue.”
According to a person familiar with the situation, the attack appears to be a ransomware case, which would require the hospital system to pay a blackmailer to regain access to the system.