Officials at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centersaid they have paid hackers a $17,000 ransom to regain access and control over the hospital’s computer systems after a low-tech ransomware attack locked them out of their networks.
"On the evening of February 5th, our staff noticed issues accessing the hospital’s computer network," wrote Stefanek. "Our IT department began an immediate investigation and determined we had been subject to a malware attack," which locked the system, demanding a access key that could only be obtained by paying the ransom.
"The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key," he wrote. "In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this."
Stefanek said the hospital on Monday had regained control over its electronic health record systems.
The CEO said there is no evidence that any patient data was accessed by the hackers.
During the system blackout, caregivers had to rely on handwritten notes and faxes in lieu of electronic communications.
