Ransomware Attack Causes Severe Disruption at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

The Hospital Clinic de Barcelona has been hit by a ransomware attack that caused significant disruptions to its computer systems. As a result, the clinic had to cancel 150 non-urgent surgeries and up to 3,000 patient check-ups. The attack has been linked to foreign threat actors.

As per Security Week’s report, the Sunday ransomware attack had a crippling impact on the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona. The attack impacted various areas, including laboratories, emergency rooms, pharmacies at three main centers, and multiple external clinics.

The attack resulted in around 150 elective surgeries, 500 extractions, and roughly 300 consultations being postponed. The hospital is redirecting urgent cases to other locations.

During a news conference, the hospital director Antoni Castells said – “We can’t make any prediction as to when the system will be back up to normal.” According to a report, Sergi Marcen, the Secretary for Telecommunications and Digital Transformation at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, stated that the ransomware attack was carried out by threat actors outside of Spain. Marcen said that “RansomHouse carries out these types of attacks in exchange for money, but so far they have not been in contact.”

Additionally, a government statement noted that the cyberattack had a significant impact on the emergency services of three medical centers linked to Clínic de Barcelona, namely CAP Casanova, CAP Borrell, and CAP Les Corts.

Although the hospital’s SAP system was not affected, all other applications and communications have been disrupted, and the restoration of critical systems is ongoing. As a result, physicians cannot access patient information, and the situation has affected the provision of care services.

To minimize the impact of the attack and facilitate communication between different departments, additional health assistants and administrative staff have been deployed in Clínic de Barcelona.

According to hospital officials, Radiology, endoscopic tests, radiological scans, dialysis, and outpatient pharmacy services have not been affected by the cyberattack and will continue to operate normally.