Hospital, law enforcement thwart ransomware attempt

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital was recently targeted by an information security hoax in which the perpetrator demanded a ransom payment, hospital officials said in a statement. 

The Hollister hospital received correspondence from a suspect or suspects suggesting that an outside party had gained access to HHMH’s information systems in recent weeks, says a press release from the hospital. The suspect demanded a ransom payment to keep the data unpublished. 

After contacting authorities and investigating, HHMH staff determined the correspondence was a hoax. The hospital’s information systems had not been illicitly accessed or compromised, and HHMH did not end up paying the demanded ransom. 

HHMH officials worked with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the ransom attempt, says the press release.  

“Information privacy and security are among our highest priorities,” said HHMH CEO Mary Casillas. “Upon learning of this event, we moved quickly to investigate and assess the security of our systems. We are confident that no data compromise occurred.”