The digital lifeblood of OneBlood is slowly pulsing back into action following a severe cyberattack that plunged the primary blood distributor into an old-school state of affairs, with manual systems taking the place of modern computing — but the organization is finding its feet again. According to ClickOrlando, which serves an extensive network of hospitals across the southeastern United States, critical software systems are now tentatively stepping back online after the ransomware attack on July 29 disrupted its operations.

Despite the digital paralysis, OneBlood managed to keep the lifeline intact, maintaining their vital services through a sudden regression to pen-and-paper, "We were, and continue to do everything possible to resume back to full capacity," Susan Forbes, a spokesperson for OneBlood stated, as per CF Public in the wake of the cyberassault that muddied the waters of their electronic infrastructure.

The organization's agility in the face of such adversity has been noteworthy, maintaining blood collection, testing, processing, and distribution to over 250 hospitals by implementing manual backups to their usual digital conveniences which Forbes described as beginning to return to using our electronic registration process for donors, relaying optimism for a rapid recovery as their electronic systems are reintroduced.

Confidence in the security of donor data still hangs in the balance, with ongoing investigations delving into the breach as OneBlood and cybersecurity specialists push to understand the scope and origin of the attack. However, it is not yet clear if or how donor information might have been compromised during the breach, with Forbes stating as cited by CF Public, "It's a very fluid situation and things are changing by the minute." Despite the setbacks which include operational hurdles like manual labeling, that Forbes said left them operating in a "blood shortage protocol" OneBlood maintains that its mission continues unabated, urging community members — those who are able and willing — to donate blood, to continue their essential service of saving lives.