CHICAGO (AP) — Doctors and nurses at a premier Chicago children’s hospital can again access patients’ electronic medical records, more than a month after a cyberattack forced Lurie Children’s Hospital to take its networks offline.

The hospital announced on Monday that its phone system is now fully operational.

Authorities had previously attributed the incident to an individual with a known history of criminal activity, stating that the hospital took measures to shut down its own communication and medical record systems upon discovering the breach on January 31st.

The conditions at Lurie Children’s Hospital showed signs of a ransomware attack, though the hospital has not officially confirmed or denied its cause. These types of attacks, which involve locking important data, records, or information and then demanding payment to regain access, are commonly used by ransomware groups as a means of financial gain.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has stated that it is conducting an investigation.

Attackers often view hospitals as vulnerable targets due to their heavy use of online technology.

Around 260,000 patients were treated at Lurie Children’s in the previous year.

The statement issued on Monday stated that MyChart, a portal that allows patients and parents to view medical records and communicate with providers, is still unavailable.

According to a statement, due to the complexity of our academic medical center systems, the process of restoration may take some time. We are collaborating with both internal and external specialists and taking a cautious approach to ensure the full recovery of our systems. This includes thorough verification and testing before they are brought back online.

Source: wral.com