Overview

• Ascension, a major U.S. healthcare system, confirmed that 5.6 million individuals were affected by a ransomware attack in May 2024.
• The breach exposed sensitive medical records, payment details, insurance data, and personal identification information such as Social Security numbers and passports.
• The Black Basta ransomware group is suspected to be behind the attack, though Ascension has not officially confirmed this link.
• The hack disrupted hospital operations, forcing staff to revert to manual record-keeping and delaying non-emergency procedures and lab results.
• Ascension is offering two years of free identity theft protection and has reported the breach to federal authorities, including the FBI and CISA.