Cybersecurity CEO Accused Of Hacking Hospital Computer With Malware

A local cybersecurity CEO has been arrested for allegedly installing malware at St. Anthony Hospital, sparking alarm over trust in cyber professionals.

An Oklahoma cybersecurity CEO has been arrested after being accused of installing malware on a hospital computer, as first reported by HIPAA Journal.

On August 6, 2024, Jeffrey Bowie, CEO of an Edmond-based cybersecurity company, was caught on surveillance cameras wandering the halls of SSM Health’s St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. According to police, Bowie entered several offices before accessing two computers—one of which was for staff use only, as reported by News9.

Authorities say that within 10 minutes, he installed malware designed to take screenshots every 20 minutes and send them to an external IP address, as reported by Koco News5. He told a hospital employee who questioned him that he needed to use the computer because he had a family member in surgery.

St. Anthony Hospital launched a forensic investigation and found the suspicious software. Fortunately, no patient data was accessed. “On August 6th, 2024, an unauthorized individual was identified accessing a hospital computer in an alleged attempt to install malware,” the hospital said in a statement, as reported by Cybernews.

“Due to precautions in place, the issue was addressed immediately, and no patient information was accessed. We worked closely with law enforcement during the investigation,” the statement added.

Bowie was arrested by Oklahoma City police last week and is facing two counts of violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act. If convicted, he could face fines of up to $100,000 and a prison sentence of up to 10 years, as reported by HIPAA.

Interestingly, Bowie’s former employer, Alias Cyber Security, revealed they had let him go years ago due to ethical concerns. Koco News reports that their CEO, Donovan Farrow, commented on the case:

“I wasn’t that surprised… Some people just do things out of desperation just trying to grow themselves… I love the cybersecurity community. I want everyone to grow in that, but this is uncalled for, and it puts a bit of a stain on this type of business”