Cybersecurity experts are warning parents to be vigilant after a ‘cybersecurity matter’ caused significant issues at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s…
Cybersecurity experts are warning parents to be vigilant after a 'cybersecurity matter' caused significant issues at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital. For a week, officials at the hospital have been dealing with the incident that forced employees to take key systems offline, with IT teams still working to restore computer and phone service at the hospital.
Doctors are still seeing patients at the hospital, according to officials, and work continues to secure technology systems, according to a new update posted Tuesday. “Our top priority remains providing safe, quality care to our patients and the communities we serve,” officials said. “We acknowledge the inconvenience and concern this system outage causes for our patient families, team members and community providers.” Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weeklyAs officials continue working to “mitigate” the disruption, cybersecurity experts say that there are two things officials are working on. “They are not so much worried at this point about who did it, because their primary focus is one, to make sure the hacker no longer has control of their environment, but also, two, to ensure they can get those systems back up and running to provide critical health care services to the patients that need them,” Cyrus Walker, founder of Chicago-based Data Defenders Cybersecurity, said. Timeline: Key moments surrounding the 2021 Michigan high school shooting as mother of shooter is found guilty The FBI is investigating a cybersecurity incident that took place at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, NBC Chicago's Charlie Wojciechowski reports. Officials say that law enforcement remains involved in the investigation, including the Justice Department. The FBI is offering assistance to the hospital amid that investigation, sources told NBC Chicago. The cyber incursion has led to complications for those who are scheduled for surgery and other procedures at the hospital. “I would imagine the reason why a lot of the surgeries that were being planned were canceled is that the doctors don’t have the access to the right data in order to make the right decisions,” Walker said. Experts also warn of the possibility that Lurie patients and their parents could still be targeted by other cybercriminals in the future. “Healthcare information is the most valuable information on the dark web because of the secondary compromise that can be done by these malicious actors,” Checkpoint Security’s Pete Nicoletti said. The hospital says it is working to “mitigate the disruption” and to maintain continuity of care, according to the statement. For assistance, parents are asked to call a dedicated call center at 1-800-543-7362. During hours the call center is closed, the main operator can be reached at 312-227-4000.