Barcelona Hospital Knocked Offline By Ransomware

The Hospital Clinic de Barcelona located in Spain has suffered from a ransomware attack that has crippled the medical centres computer systems. The 819-bed hospital is based in Barcelona, Spain, and serves over half a million people seeking medical attention and healthcare services.

The attack was detected on 6th March and took services offline and forced the cancellation of 150 non-urgent operations and 3,000 patient consultations, amongst other consequences. 

The attack resulted in computers at the hospital’s lab, emergency room, and pharmacy at three main centres and external clinics to be shut down. The hospital’s emergency contingency plan would allow it to function at a reduced level for several days and there are hopes the system can be restored in time.

The attack has been attributed to criminals outside of Spain. “We can’t make any prediction as to when the system will be back up to normal,” hospital director Antoni Castells told a news conference. 

A Catalonia regional government statement said the region’s Cybersecurity Agency was working to restore the system. The agency said the attack was orchestrated from outside of Spain by a group called Ransom House.

The hospital has not confirmed when it will be back to operating at normal capacity with its systems restored. The healthcare center has a contingency plan that will allow them to continue to function at a minimal level over the next several days while systems are restored.

AP News:    Oodaloop:     Security Week:      Cybewire:     Techmonitor;    Bleeping Computer: 

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