Montana medical group locked out of patient files while attackers demanded ransom

Sapphire Community Health began notifying 4,000 patients about a ransomware attack that locked their files, making them unusable.

The Hamilton, Mont., medical group said that on Feb. 18 an unknown party used an encryption code to lock the healthcare provider out of patients' files. The encrypted files contained Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, names and more. Medical records were not affected in the attack, a notification letter said.

After discovering the data breach, Sapphire shut down its information systems to prevent the attack from spreading further and started the scanning and restoration process.

Sapphire said it's continuing to evaluate and implement additional security safeguards to prevent future attacks.

Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Sapphire Community Health and will update the article with any additional news.

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