Prospect Medical Holdings cyberattack shut hospital services in four states

Prospect Medical Holdings, a Los Angeles based operator of hospitals and outpatient clinics, was hit by a cyberattack on August 3, 2023 that forced it to take systems offline across four states.

The company runs 16 hospitals and, according to The Record, about 166 outpatient clinics and other facilities in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Connecticut saw the heaviest disruption. Manchester Memorial and Rockville General closed their emergency departments and diverted ambulances, and the Eastern Connecticut Health Network canceled elective surgeries and shut services including urgent care, imaging and wound care. Facilities in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, among them Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Roger Williams Medical Center, also reported problems, and staff reverted to paper records.

Prospect said it had recently experienced a data security incident that disrupted its operations, that it took its systems offline to protect them, and that it launched an investigation with third party cybersecurity specialists.

The FBI confirmed it was investigating and reporters described the incident as a ransomware attack. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said it was working in close coordination with federal and private sector partners and stood ready to assist.

No group had claimed responsibility in the first days of the incident, and the company did not say whether patient data had been taken. Computers were expected to remain offline into the following week.