A cyberattack has caused significant, ongoing computer network problems for the University of Vermont Health Network, affecting its six hospitals in Vermont and New York, officials said Thursday.
The network is working with the FBI and the Vermont Department of Public Safety on the investigation, said spokesman Neal Goswami in a text.
“People who are in urgent need of care are getting it and most appointments are happening,” Dr. Stephen Leffler, president of the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, said at a news conference late Thursday outside the hospital. “Most surgeries will happen tomorrow. We did slow some down today as were switching systems.”
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Patients with appointments on Friday who have not been contacted should expect to have their appointments as scheduled, he said.
The FBI and two federal agencies warned in an alert Wednesday that they had “credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.” Independent security experts say the ransomware, called Ryuk, has already affected at least five U.S. hospitals this week and could potentially affect hundreds more.
The FBI would not say whether the attack on the UVM Health Network was by ransomware and would confirm only that it was investigating “a potential cyber attack” with state and local partners. Leffler said he had received no requests for ransom.
As soon as UVM Medical Center knew something was happening Wednesday, it shut down everyt ..
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