
Several hospitals in Romania have been targets of ransomware cyber attacks. They can no longer report medical services. Work is being done offline, but the process is greatly hindered, causing patients to wait hours to be seen.
During the night of February 11 to 12, 2024, a massive ransomware cyber attack took place on the production servers running the HIS computer system. As a result of the attack, the system is non-functional, files and databases are encrypted, the Ministry of Health reported. Massive Cyber Attack on Hospitals in Romania.
What Happens to the Patients The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, stated that between 15 and 20 hospitals in the country and in Bucharest are experiencing problems using the Hippocrates computer system. "It is true. There are several hospitals that are encountering problems with using an important computer program for the functioning of hospitals - it's called Hippocrates. We don't know exactly how many hospitals are affected at the moment.
We don't have the information, but we are working together with the National Cyber Security Center to clarify the causes and remedy them. From the information we have so far, between 15 and 20 hospitals across the country are affected," the Minister of Health said, according to Agerpres. According to him, the medical units can no longer report medical services.
The medical units affected by the cyber attack are:
Emergency Hospital for Plastic Surgery, Reconstruction, and Burns Bucharest
Azuga Orthopedics and Traumatology Hospital
"Dr. Constantin Opris" Emergency County Hospital Baia Mare
"St. Apostle Andrew" County Emergency Clinical Hospital Constanța
"Prof. Dr. Al. Trestioreanu" Oncology Institute Bucharest (IOB)
"Dr. Alexandru Gafencu" Emergency Military Hospital Constanța
Sighetu Marmației Municipal Hospital
Targoviste County Emergency Hospital
C.F. Clinical Hospital No. 2 Bucharest
Fundeni Clinical Institute
Regional Oncology Institute Iași (IRO Iași)
Buzău County Emergency Hospital
Slobozia County Emergency Hospital
Timișoara Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases
St. Luke's Chronic Diseases Hospital
Colțea Clinical Hospital
Medgidia Municipal Hospital
Pitești County Emergency Hospital
The incident is under investigation by IT specialists, including cyber security experts from the National Cyber Security Directorate, and possibilities for reinstatement are being evaluated. Additionally, exceptional preventative measures have been activated for other hospitals that were not affected by the attack. The Ministry of Health, in partnership with institutions in the field, is closely monitoring the situation for the fastest possible remediation of the dysfunctions. In all hospitals where this type of computer system operates, safety measures have been taken, limiting internet, saving data on external support, etc. Representatives of the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) have stated that the institution was notified on Monday about a ransomware cyber attack on a service provider for several hospitals in Romania. DNSC recommends that hospital IT teams should not be contacted, so they can focus on restoring IT services and data, which is a priority.
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