In Evansville, institutions like schools, libraries, and hospitals have been grappling with extensive internet disruptions in recent days due to various issues.
The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. and the public library system experienced outages on Wednesday, coinciding with severe weather alerts. Both rely on Educational Networks of America for their internet services, and the disruptions were traced back to a damaged fiber optic line between Indianapolis and Evansville. Fortunately, both systems were restored by Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Ascension St. Vincent faced a more complex situation. Over 140 hospitals within the chain nationwide detected suspicious activity, prompting immediate investigations into potential data breaches. Access to certain systems was disrupted as a precautionary measure, leading to difficulties in fulfilling subscriptions and other essential functions. In some areas, like Michigan, hospitals had to resort to manual methods due to the lack of internet access, reminiscent of practices from past decades.
The impact on medical operations has been significant, with physicians noting the cumbersome nature of relying on paper records and phone communications for critical tasks like accessing medical reports and placing orders. The surge in cyber attacks against hospitals, as highlighted by a 2022 analysis, has made medical systems prime targets for cybercrime.
Ascension St. Vincent assured the public that staff is well-prepared to handle such disruptions and has initiated measures to maintain safe patient care delivery. They have enlisted the expertise of third-party cybersecurity firm Mandiant to investigate and mitigate the situation, while also informing relevant authorities. The institution is committed to ensuring the security and privacy of sensitive information and will notify and support affected individuals in accordance with legal guidelines.
