Rexburg hospital forced to shutdown online systems following cyberattack
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REXBURG — A cyberattack on Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg is not believed to have compromised patient health or financial information.
According to hospital spokesman Doug McBride, the attack occurred over the weekend. Due to previously activated safety measures and the quick response of the hospital information systems department, the attack is believed to have been halted before patient information could be accessed.
“With the security system that we had in place, and then our IT — they got on it immediately. As soon as they started getting any suspicion, they were able to shut it down quickly,” McBride told EastIdahoNews.com. “The quick response is what really saved us.”
Since information is backed up off-site, Mcbride says the hospital was able to shut down the entire system.
Due to that complete shutdown, some systems are currently not available. McBride said the hospital should be able to determine when full function will be returned.
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This attack comes five months after a similar attack on Mountain View Hospital.
Due to the sensitive nature of information held by hospitals, McBride explains they are targets of such attacks.
“Healthcare is a tremendously high-target area for these individuals,” he said.
He called it a “growing concern” and “a real threat” that has forced around 13 area hospitals to co-op their efforts and share security measures and methods used to counteract these threats.
EastIdahoNews.com will provide more information about the attack and investigation as it becomes available.