Idaho hospitals working to resume full operations after cyberattack

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Two eastern Idaho hospitals and their clinics are working to resume full operations after a cyberattack on their computer systems.

Officials with Idaho Falls Community Hospital said the attack happened Monday, causing some clinics to close, some ambulances to be diverted to nearby hospitals and their cafes to only accept cash. Mountain View Hospital, also located in Idaho Falls, was similarly affected by the computer virus, officials said.

Hospital information technology staff identified the attack quickly and immediately acted to limit the impacts and keep all patient information safe and secure, officials said.

Work to fully recover from the attack was ongoing on Wednesday.

“Both hospitals remain open and are safely caring for all their patients and the vast majority of clinics are seeing patients as usual,” officials said in a blog post on the Idaho Falls Community Hospital website.

Healthcare organizations have been an appealing target for cyber attackers — particularly those who use malware to lock a victim organization’s files and leverage the information for a payment. Ransomware has remained a persistent threat for the industry, which is among the sectors the U.S. government classifies as critical infrastructure.

Officials in the Idaho attack have only referred to the problem as a virus that needs to be removed.