Suspected cyber attack under investigation at Ascension hospitals across the country

AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Some operations at Ascension facilities across the country were being affected Wednesday by a network disruption that the company said is likely linked to a cyber security event.

A statement from Ascension said its clinical operations have been disrupted. The hospital group operates the main Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin campus on 38th Street, along with Dell Seton Medical Center, Dell Children's Medical Center, and several other facilities across Central Texas.

"Our care teams are trained for these kinds of disruptions and have initiated procedures to ensure patient care delivery continues to be safe and as minimally impacted as possible," the statement reads. "We continue to assess the impact and duration of the disruption."

Ascension said it detected unusual activity on "select technology network systems" and activated remediation efforts.

"We have engaged Mandiant, a third party expert, to assist in the investigation and remediation process, and we have notified the appropriate authorities. Together, we are working to fully investigate what information, if any, may have been affected by the situation. Should we determine that any sensitive information was affected, we will notify and support those individuals in accordance with all relevant regulatory and legal guidelines."

The company said it is recommending that business partners suspend their connections into Ascension's network.