Ascension Cyberattack Exposes Patient Data and Disrupts Hospital Operations

Employee's accidental download of malware led to ransomware attack affecting seven servers; full extent of data breach still under investigation

Ascension's cyberattack was initiated by an employee downloading a malicious file, believed to be part of a phishing attempt.
The attack affected seven servers, potentially exposing protected health information and personally identifiable information.
Ascension has not yet determined the full scope of the data compromised or the number of patients affected.
The health system is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to affected patients and employees.
Operations at Ascension hospitals and clinics were significantly disrupted, with manual processes replacing electronic systems for weeks.