Two hospitals in Ontario – one in Listowel and the other in Wingham – have finally regained access to their computer systems following a highly disruptive ransomware attack.
Both hospitals first reported being affected by ransomware in September – part of a series of cyberattacks affecting communities in southwestern Ontario. The malware crippled critical systems, forcing both healthcare centers to temporarily close their oncology and diagnostic clinics, as well as turn away non-emergency care patients.
Read more: Host of cyberattacks recorded in Ontario
In a new statement, the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance said that it has investigated the attack and found that there was no unauthorized access to anyone’s personal information, personal health information, or any other sensitive data.
"No contact was made with the hackers. No ransom amount was requested, nor did we pay a ransom," the hospital group added.
During the period when the ransomware was still affecting the hospitals’ systems, the healthcare centres were forced to use paper documents. Some offices did not have access to patient files or lists. Treatments were delayed in some cases, and diagnostic testing as well as specialist appointments were deferred.
CBC News reported that as of Friday last week, the hospitals’ systems are back online.
