Western Reader
OneBlood, a prominent non-profit blood bank that serves more than 300 hospitals in the southeastern United States, was hit by a disruptive ransomware attack. This incident led to the activation of critical blood shortage protocols in over 250 hospitals. The cyberattack, which took place at the end of July, severely impacted OneBlood’s operations, raising concerns about blood supply shortages.
The ransomware attack compelled OneBlood to resort to manual processes, significantly slowing down their blood collection, testing, and distribution capabilities. Susan Forbes, OneBlood’s senior vice president, highlighted the challenge of these manual procedures on inventory availability and the organization’s efficiency. She mentioned, “Manual processes take considerably longer to execute and affect inventory availability. We have requested the over 250 hospitals we serve to implement their critical blood shortage protocols and to maintain that status for the time being.
HOLY SMOKES!!! This is extremely bad if true! Apparently, OneBlood, a major not-for-profit organization that provides blood donation services to hospitals, got hacked and they’re not distributing blood across hospitals nationwide. This could severely impact medical treatments and… pic.twitter.com/wwviHFzEV1
— RSP (@RedShortsYT) July 30, 2024
OneBlood is working closely with federal, state, and local authorities, as well as cybersecurity experts, to address the breach and restore full functionality to their systems. Even though the organization is still operational, the attack has triggered a critical need for blood donations to address the shortages caused by the slowed operations.
This event underscores the increasing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare and essential infrastructure. Earlier this month, the U.S. government and cybersecurity company Mandiant uncovered a North Korean APT group responsible for multiple ransomware attacks on healthcare providers, highlighting the sector’s vulnerability.
🚨🚨🚨Ransomware Attack Disrupts OneBlood Operations Leaving all there Virtual Machines Encrypted, Raising Concerns Over Blood Supply Stability!!!
Details: https://t.co/HY43XS2tq2#ransomwareattack #VMWare #cyberattack #healthcare #encryption #Threatfeed #SecureBlink pic.twitter.com/GBan9mr2D6
— Secure Blink (@secure_blink) August 2, 2024
The ransomware attack on OneBlood is part of a troubling pattern of cyberattacks targeting healthcare providers. Octapharma Plasma, another significant blood donation facility, recently experienced a suspected ransomware attack that led to the closure of nearly 200 donation centers across the U.S. This attack, linked to the BlackSuit ransomware gang, disrupted plasma supplies critical for life-saving treatments.
The healthcare sector has been particularly vulnerable to ransomware attacks, with attackers frequently targeting hospitals and medical service providers due to the critical nature of their operations. These attacks not only compromise sensitive data but also disrupt essential services, posing a significant risk to patient care and safety.
As OneBlood strives to recover from the attack, they encourage individuals to donate blood to help alleviate the shortages. Forbes stated, “Our team acted swiftly to assess our systems and began an investigation to determine the full extent of the incident. Our comprehensive response efforts are ongoing, and we are working tirelessly to restore full functionality to our systems as promptly as possible.
The importance of blood donations cannot be overstated. Hospitals depend on a consistent blood supply for surgeries, trauma care, and patients with chronic conditions. Given the current disruptions, maintaining adequate blood supply levels is crucial to ensure that patient care is not compromised.
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