Upstate New York nonprofit hospitals struggle to recover after LockBit ransomware attack

Two prominent nonprofit hospitals in upstate New York, Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, are grappling with the aftermath of a recent ransomware attack.

The LockBit ransomware gang on Thursday included the hospitals on their leak site and threatened to expose sensitive data stolen from the nonprofits unless a ransom is paid by September 19.

The cyber incident, which came to light last week, has disrupted healthcare services in the region, affecting thousands of residents across Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties. Despite ongoing efforts to restore operations, significant challenges persist, raising concerns about the broader implications of cybersecurity threats in the healthcare sector.

For the past two weeks, Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center have been contending with the fallout of a cybersecurity breach. This attack forced the hospitals to redirect ambulances to nearby facilities and reschedule most appointments, causing inconvenience to patients.

While phone systems were restored on September 2, other critical services remain unavailable, adding to the hospitals’ operational woes. Authorities such as the FBI, the New York State Department of Health, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services have actively supported the hospitals’ recovery efforts.

The hospitals announced the continued cancellation of most appointments, with exceptions for dialysis, cancer treatment, and wound care. They assured patients that appointments needing rescheduling would be addressed promptly and urged those with urgent health concerns to contact their healthcare providers or visit the nearest emergency department.

As the hospitals strive to address the situation, they have refrained from providing comments but did release a joint statement on September 6 via their Facebook pages. The statement outlined their commitment to patient care and privacy protection while acknowledging the inconvenience caused by the ongoing disruptions.