From The Banner · Cody Boteler · · 2m
Luminis Health cyberattack leaves patients in the dark
Two Maryland hospitals have been dealing with a cyberattack for over two weeks, with limited information shared publicly.
In brief
Two Maryland hospitals have been dealing with a cyberattack for over two weeks, with limited information shared publicly. Luminis Health patients should be extra vigilant about phishing attempts and suspicious communications while the hospital system recovers from a cyberattack. Originally reported by The Banner.
Two hospitals hit by cyberattack
Luminis Health has been dealing with a cyberattack for over two weeks. The company operates Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis and Doctors Community Medical Center in Lanham.
Hospitals remain open but limited
Luminis says it's stayed open and continued caring for patients, but certain systems are offline. Officials haven't specified which systems or services are affected.
“Our hospitals remain open, our teams continue to provide care, and we are making progress in our restoration efforts.”
Emergency patients were rerouted
Ambulances with noncritical patients headed to emergency departments were sent to other hospitals for a few days.
Patients struggle with appointments
Some patients have complained online that they can't schedule follow-up appointments and have missed critical care. Appointments may take longer with paper forms replacing electronic ones.
Patient portal still down
MyChart, the online platform for viewing test results and messaging providers, remains unavailable. Phone lines were down for two weeks but were restored Wednesday afternoon.
Healthcare systems are prime targets
Hospitals have complex networks with many devices and haven't invested as much in cybersecurity. Personal medical information has value to criminals.
“Those are the kinds of things we would tell people to be concerned about. That's generally how the criminal marketplace works.”
Watch for phishing attempts
Patients should be extra vigilant about emails, texts or communications claiming to be from medical providers. Experts recommend using multifactor authentication and password managers.
Few details about the attack
Luminis hasn't said how the criminal got access, who they are, or what demands they've made. The company hasn't confirmed if it's working with law enforcement.
Recovery takes time
Luminis first announced the attack on September 1st. Cybersecurity experts say incidents like this typically take two or three weeks to resolve.
Hotline available for patients
Patients with questions about appointments can call 443-222-0193 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Messages left outside those hours will be returned.
The headline
Luminis Health patients should be extra vigilant about phishing attempts and suspicious communications while the hospital system recovers from a cyberattack.
