Lockbit ransomware attack on KHO hospitals in Bielefeld, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, and Herford.
The German hospital network Katholische Hospitalvereinigung Ostwestfalen (KHO) confirmed that a Lockbit ransomware attack caused recent service disruptions at three hospitals. The attack occurred on December 24, 2023, impacting hospitals in Bielefeld, Rheda-Wiedenbrück, and Herford, Germany.
The hospital’s translated announcement stated that unknown actors accessed the IT infrastructure systems, encrypting data, likely through Lockbit 3.0. The resolution time is currently uncertain. As a precaution, all systems were immediately shut down, and relevant parties were informed.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of the damage and whether data was stolen. The affected hospitals, operated by KHO, include Franziskus Hospital Bielefeld, Sankt Vinzenz Hospital Rheda-Wiedenbrück, and Mathilden Hospital Herford.
Despite the cyberattack, patient treatment continues in the impacted hospitals, with clinic operations available, albeit with technical restrictions. Essential patient information is accessible through successful data restoration from backups. Emergency care is currently unavailable, necessitating the redirection of individuals in urgent need to alternative facilities, potentially causing critical delays.
As of now, the Lockbit ransomware gang has not added KHO to its dark web extortion portal, leaving uncertainty about whether patient data or other sensitive information was stolen.
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