Ransomware Strucks Princeton Community Hospital in West Virginia

Princeton Community Hospital in West Virginia is attempting to resolve a ransomware attack through a total rebuild of its computer network.

The reconstruction of its networks is a precaution to stop potential reinfection, and includes replacing almost 1,200 hard drives, Rose Morgan, vice president of patient care services, told MetroNews, the local newspaper.

A message on computers at the facility when they were turned on the morning of June 27 read: “If you see this text, then your files are no longer accessible because they have been encrypted,” MetroNews reported.

The rebuild started after IT staff evaluated that a ransom couldn’t be paid for reasons that were not specified, in accordance with the Wall Street Journal. The degree to which a ransom payment was considered is unclear, and the Princeton Community hospital is declining further comment.

Executives say they believe that backup records will restore patient files. There is no indication that data has been removed from the facility.

Workers were capable to get some patient data from four computers, like allergies, medications and medical history, but the hospital’s electronic health records (EHRs) system currently isn’t accessible, and the hospital has reverted to paper documentation. Complete restoration could take a week.

Workers in several departments can’t use their computers so they are ferrying physician orders and other information among hospital departments as the pneumatic tube system is not working, Morgan told the Wall Street Journal.