LANSING — Recent outages and problems at McLaren Health Care facilities across Michigan were the result of a ransomware attack and problems affecting patients are likely to linger through August.
McLaren had previously said a cyber attack caused the problems but had not elaborated .
The health care provider confirmed the ransomware attack in post on its website .
"The attack is impacting its information technology systems across the organization’s 13 hospitals, Karmanos cancer centers, surgery centers, and clinics," the health system said in a statement. "The disruption is expected to continue through the end of August, while cyber forensic investigations are ongoing. The incident is contained, but access to certain McLaren systems remains limited."
A ransomware attack typically locks information technology systems, preventing access, and are often accompanied by a ransom demand in exchange for solving the problem. McLaren has not released specifics about whether any demands were made.
Most McLaren services, including emergency rooms and scheduled appointments, have been and will continue to be available. Patients should continue as planned unless they've been contacted by their provider, the health system said.
McLaren said if any patients' personal information was compromised, it will notify people following state and federal guidelines, but did not provide additional details.
“Our employees are absolutely inspiring. Under extremely trying circumstances, McLaren teams on the frontlines and those in support roles across the state have answered the call," McLaren Health Care president and CEO Phil Incarnati said. "From doctors and nurses to dietary professionals, administrative assistants, patient advocates and all team members in between, our patients, their families and our communities will be forever grateful for your resilience and kindness. Thank you.
“We kindly ask patients seeking care and visitors to our facilities for their continued patience. Our clinical and support teams are some of the best out there, but they are working in a very challenging environment while we recover from this attack. They are the ones showing up on the frontlines every day to ensure our communities receive the care they need.
“Our experience has made clear that cyberattacks against our health care infrastructure are an industrywide problem, and it’s not hyperbole to call health care cybercrime a national security threat."
The Grand Blanc-based health system was affected at all 13 of its Michigan hospitals, surgery, infusion and imaging centers, along with its network of 113,000 medical providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
It's the second time in a year that cybercriminals have attacked McLaren's technology platforms. A ransomware attack affected the health system in August of 2023 as well.
The incident impacted phones and computers among other IT functions and was discovered Aug. 5.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessell, in comments last week, said details from McLaren on the attack were scarce and called for stronger disclosure rules that could obligate companies to share data breaches earlier.
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Ransomware attack confirmed by McLaren; health system says impact ongoing through August
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