Photo: Andrew Brookes/Getty Images
The University of Mississippi Medical Center cyberattack on Thursday continued to hobble hospital communications on Monday as UMMC’s website remained down and no one could be reached within the media department on a phone line that appeared to be out of service.
AP reported the attack as ransomware.
"The attackers have communicated to us, and we’re working with authorities and specialists on next steps," said UMMC Vice Chancellor LouAnn Woodward during a press conference last week.
“We continue to work with federal authorities and national experts in cyberattack response as we evaluate the extent of the attack and our next steps. We expect this to be a multi-day event and will communicate helpful information, when available,” UMMC communicated on Facebook. “We are sorry for this disruption, and we are working diligently to restore our systems and services as soon as possible.”
The academic health system “sustained a cyberattack which impacted our IT network and many of our systems, including our electronic medical record Epic,” Woodward said.
Officials were alerted to the attack when one of UMMC's IT systems was not working properly, Woodward said.
UMMC canceled clinics and elective procedures on Thursday and Friday. The hospital and emergency room remained operational as did a dialysis clinic at the Jackson Medical Mall.
UMMC’s entire system was impacted, including its medical schools and hospital buildings in Jackson as well as 35 medical clinics around the state, according to Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
Healthcare providers were taking down information manually, according to AP.
University officials warned that the shutdown could continue for days as they evaluate the extent of the attack, including whether patient information was compromised. They would work to restore network systems taken down as a precaution, according to AP.
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org