After suffering a ransomware attack, Langhorne, Pa.-based Ambulatory Surgery Center at St. Mary sent letters to nearly 13,000 patients whose personal information may have been breached, according to Bucks County Courier Times.
Here are five key points:
1. The ASC discovered the breach on June 1 after staff members noted encrypted files on an internal network.
2. In the letter, Ambulatory Surgery Center at St. Mary stated the hackers installed ransomware, which tried to prohibit the ASC from accessing files until it paid ransom.
3. However, an ASC spokesperson said the ASC had a full backup of files, and therefore did not pay the ransom to the cybercriminals. The letter stated, "In most cases, ransomware is not utilized for the purposes of accessing personal identification information. However, since the ransomware did access our network, we need to notify you just in case other information was accessed."
4. The investigation into the cyber attack is ongoing, and the ASC is conducting an internal audit to ensure its systems are safe from data breaches onward.
5. Ambulatory Surgery Center at St. Mary is a joint venture between local physicians and St. Mary Medical Center, also in Langhorne.
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