Kettering Health has announced a significant step in its ongoing efforts to recover from a recent ransomware attack that disrupted its operations. Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai Lorenzo is a Senior Writer at TechCrunch, where he covers hacking and cybersecurity. He’s been tracking everything happening in the aftermath of this story. The healthcare provider describes the restoration of services as “a major milestone in our broader restoration efforts and a vital step toward returning to normal operations.”
Kettering Health’s IT systems were hit by a ransomware attack. This event sparked national alarm over the safety of sensitive patient information and the trustworthiness of electronic health records. The hospital is reportedly doing everything possible to regain access to its electronic health records. These documents are crucial toward improving communication between care teams and coordinating patient care. The federation underscored the systems’ critical role in helping healthcare providers quickly and efficiently get patients the care they need, when they need it.
Franceschi-Bicchierai writes about cybersecurity and privacy issues. He first puts the attack on Kettering Health in the context of an ongoing trend that’s affecting hospitals, school districts, and any organization you can think of. Ransomware attacks have become significantly more sophisticated, forcing organizations to raise the bar on their cybersecurity defenses. As Kettering Health’s approach to restoring its systems illustrates, resilience will be the key in addressing and overcoming such threats.
To talk about all these advancements, Franceschi-Bicchierai is available securely by secure communications. Photo by Tonderai Kalonga You can contact him over Signal at +1 917 257 1382. He’s on Keybase and Telegram @lorenzofb For any of you who still want to do this all via email, he can be reached at lorenzo@techcrunch.com.
As Kettering Health still strives to fully recover its systems, the healthcare organization is not deterred from its commitment to patient care and security. These communication improvements will make it easier for care teams to work together to coordinate and manage care. They’ll allow a more efficient coordination of patient care to improve response time and communication, continues the provider.
