Kettering Health, a significant healthcare network in the Dayton region, has been rocked by a cyberattack, leading to a widespread system outage across its facilities. First reported by FOX19 NOW, the attack initially caused disruptions Tuesday morning, restricting access to vital patient care systems. Dr. Richard Harknett of the Ohio Cyber Range Institute described the situation's gravity to FOX19 NOW, "So if you get your systems locked up and it affects your ability to provide medical care, you know, people’s lives could be on the line or under risk, so there’s pressure."
Confirming the breach, Kettering Health explained that unauthorized access to their network, including the call center, had prompted immediate action to contain and mitigate the cyber incident. A statement released and obtained by WLWT underscores their response: "We have taken steps to contain and mitigate this activity and are actively investigating and monitoring the situation." The ripple effects of the outage were immediately felt as all elective inpatient and outpatient procedures were canceled and are expected to quickly be rescheduled.
Further updates by Kettering Health shared a concerning development involving scam calls to patients, impersonating staff members and soliciting credit card payments. While links to the cyberattack have not been confirmed, the warnings are stern. "While it is customary for Kettering Health to contact patients by phone to discuss payment options for medical bills, out of an abundance of caution, we will not be making calls to ask for or receive payment over the phone until further notice," the network advised in a statement shared by Bleeping Computer. Patients receiving such calls are encouraged to report them to local law enforcement agencies.
In the wake of the cyberattack, Kettering Health has pledged to maintain standard care protocols, emphasizing that emergency rooms and clinics remain open. Coordinated efforts by healthcare workers to provide safe and reliable healthcare amid such crises are evident in the statement published by the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association and obtained by WLWT, "Our hospitals train continuously for events like this, integrating technology security into their emergency preparedness planning and protocols just as they do for natural disasters or mass casualty incidents."
