A Central Texas woman is taking legal action against the Ascension Seton hospital system in the wake of a data breach stemming from a ransomware attack. The former Ascension Seton patient, Ana Marie Turner, alleges that her personal information was compromised during the incident that occurred earlier this month, as reported by CBS Austin.

Last week's cyber incident, identified as a ransomware attack by hospital officials on May 8, resulted in the encryption of the hospital's electronic health records and various systems integral to the ordering of tests, procedures, and medications. According to the lawsuit caught by the unwary cyberattack, Ascension's data was unencrypted and accessible during the breach.

Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital in Round Rock, where Turner was a patient in 2023, experienced disruptions due to the cyberattack, with hospital officials acknowledging the situation without providing a definitive timeline for restoring all services, as per KVUE. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are investigating the breach. Ascension Health has engaged cybersecurity experts to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident.

Attributed to the Black Basta group by the lawsuit, Ascension's patient data appears to have been targeted by a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) variant identified in April 2022. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) notes that in no time, Black Basta affiliates have assaulted more than 500 industry sectors worldwide. IBM reports such ransomware attacks were only the second most common cyber threat last year.

Ascension has refused requests for an on-camera interview from KVUE, but a spokesperson from the hospital system referenced a statement ensuring that authorities have been notified and an external expert has been brought in to aid the investigation.