Cyberattack forces health care network to divert ambulances from hospitals

A cyberattack on Ascension, a St. Louis-based network that includes 140 hospitals in 19 states, forced the health care system to divert ambulances from several of its hospitals. 

The cyberattack also disrupted access to electronic health records, some phone systems and "various systems utilized to order certain tests, procedures and medications," Ascension said in a statement. 

According to CNN, four sources said Ascension suffered a ransomware attack, which involves cybercriminals attempting to lock computers and steal data for extortion. The type of ransomware used in the hack is known as Black Basta, which hackers have used repeatedly to attack health care organizations in recent years. 

Since the attack, Ascension has notified authorities of the incident and hired a prominent U.S. cybersecurity firm to recover and shut down systems to try and keep the incident under control. 

Read more: CNN

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