Watsonville Community Hospital in California has fully restored access to its IT network after a cyberattack in late November forced the facility to adopt downtime procedures.
According to a Dec. 31 update on the hospital's website, the breach occurred around Nov. 29, and IT systems were restored by Dec. 12. During the incident, the 106-bed hospital was forced to rely on paper records due to disruptions affecting its internet, EHR system, and prescription notifications.
An ongoing investigation revealed that files were copied from the hospital's systems, potentially exposing sensitive information such as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, and diagnosis details. However, Watsonville Community Hospital confirmed that no data was accessed from its EHR system.
The hospital is conducting a detailed review to identify affected individuals and has committed to notifying them directly. It has also reported the incident to the FBI and relevant regulatory authorities.
In response to the attack, Watsonville Community Hospital has implemented enhanced security measures to safeguard its systems and ensure the privacy of patient information, according to its website.