Lurie Children's Hospital gives restoration update on impact of dayslong cyberattack

Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago began seeing some services return this week, though much still remains down following a dayslong cyberattack that began late last month.

In an update Wednesday, a hospital spokesperson confirmed email to external email addresses has been restored, but MyChart, the primary way providers communicate with patients and families, "still remains offline." A majority of phones have also been restored.

"We are still operating our Call Center as the best point of contact for families to reach providers and service lines. The restoration process is ongoing and progressing," spokesperson Juliane Bardele said.

The attack cut doctors and nurses off from digital patient records and limited parents' ability to communicate with their kids' caregivers.

Officials at Lurie Children's Hospital said last week they were working with the FBI and other law enforcement but told reporters that a “known criminal threat actor” had accessed the hospital's network.

The hospital shut down its own systems for phone, email and medical records once the breach was discovered on Jan. 31, officials said.

“We take this matter very seriously and have been working closely around the clock with outside and internal experts and in collaboration with law enforcement, including the FBI,” said Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, Lurie's chief medical officer. “This is an active and ongoing investigation.”

The situation at Lurie Children’s Hospital had all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack, although hospital officials have not confirmed or denied the cause. Such extortion-style attacks are popular among ransomware gangs seeking financial gain by locking data, records or other critical information, and then demanding money to release it back to the owner.

Allan Liska, an analyst with cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, said victims often are advised not to name specific criminal groups but said the description Lurie officials provided Thursday suggests it's an operation well known to U.S. law enforcement.

“Even though we all know most hospitals with some exceptions don't have spare cash to pay a large ransom, they're much more aggressive than they used to be when going after health care providers,” Liska said of ransomware gangs' strategies.

A representative for the FBI in Chicago would not provide further information on the hospital’s comments, referring The Associated Press to a statement released Wednesday confirming an ongoing investigation.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services warned in a report last year that health care providers have increasingly been targeted by criminals, causing delayed or disrupted care for patients across the country.

But schools, courts, utilities and government agencies all have been exposed.

Lurie directed patients to use a call center and said it could help people refill prescriptions, discuss appointments and reach health care providers. But some parents have reported the center isn't keeping up with their needs, leaving families uncertain when they can get answers.

Brett Callow, a threat analyst with cybersecurity firm Emsisoft, said it can take weeks for a hospital to restore normal operations after a cyberattack, prioritizing critical systems first.

The latest annual report for Lurie Children’s said staff treated around 260,000 patients last year. Chicago-area pediatrician practices that work with the hospital also have reported being unable to access digital medical records because of the attack.