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Rural Healthcare Provider Closing Due in Part to Attack Woes

St. Margaret’s Health Is Permanently Shutting Hospitals and Clinics

Health-ISAC quote:

Sometimes, smaller rural hospitals fall victim not because they’re specifically targeted but rather because they’re simply more vulnerable than larger, better resourced entities. “Some of the sophisticated attackers are a little more strategic in their targeting but most throw spaghetti at a wall and hope it sticks,” said Denise Anderson, president of the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

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Marianne Kolbasuk McGee ( HealthInfoSec) • June 13, 2023

A rural Illinois medical system will shut down on Friday partly due to fallout from a 2021 ransomware incident as the toll of a wave of extortionate malware exacts rising costs from the healthcare industry.

The system, consisting of two Catholic hospitals and several clinics, also cited personnel shortages and the novel coronavirus pandemic as reasons for the closure.

The closing of 44-bed St. Margaret’s Health hospital in Spring Valley, Illinois, follows on the heels of the “temporary” suspension announced in January by nearby sister hospital, St. Margaret’s Health in Peru, Illinois, which has 49 beds.

Read the full article in Healthcare InfoSecurity here:

https://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/rural-healthcare-provider-closing-due-in-part-to-attack-woes-a-22286

Health-ISAC Hacking Healthcare 6-15-2023
An Illinois hospital is the first health care facility to link its closing to a ransomware attack