Posted on 09/20/2018 2:23:06 AM PDT by gattaca
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA 21) - Officials at Lutheran Health Network lifted a diversion order early Tuesday evening after neutralizing a cyber-attack that had prompted a scale-back in services at the company's flagship hospital.
Normal operations were restored shortly before 6:30 p.m., several hours after a computer intrusion led Lutheran Hospital to postpone elective procedures and to go on "divert status" as a precaution. The moves allowed for the matter to be thoroughly addressed, without risk to important data.
A spokesman said other member hospitals were accepting patients for scheduled appointments during the time.
In a statement, officials with Lutheran said the company's IT team "successfully stopped a virus from infecting its local network this afternoon. As a precaution, all phones and computers were taken down."
Officials noted that the process to bring all systems back online had begun, and that "all remaining elective cases at Lutheran Hospital have been canceled for the rest of the day and are being rescheduled. Lutheran Hospital is on diversion, but it remains open and walk in patients will receive the needed level of care."
Lutheran Health Network comprises eight different hospitals across northeast Indiana, including Lutheran, St. Joseph and Dupont hospitals in Allen County.
Hospitals have been frequents targets of ransomware invasions and other cyber attacks. In January, Adams Memorial Hospital temporarily lost access to some of its computer systems after a viral infiltration.
Hancock Health Network, based in the Indianapolis area, paid a $50,000 ransom that same day after its systems were taken over.
There was no such compromise of the Lutheran computer network and no indication any files were lost or exposed.
Sola Script-error?
Attack must have come from Jack Chick’s giant computer in the basement of the Vatican.
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