Iowa critical access hospital struck with ransomware

Julie Spitzer -

Waverly (Iowa) Health Center is recovering from a ransomware attack, Director of Community Relations Heidi Solheim tells Becker's Hospital Review.

Officials at the critical access hospital believe the ransomware attack began around 5 p.m. on June 14, according to Ms. Solheim. WHC confirmed its computers were under attack two hours later, at which point the hospital shut down its systems and reverted to paper records.

Hospital officials decided not to pay the ransom, said Ms. Solheim. She could not verify what malware had attacked WHC’s systems.

There is currently no indication patient data has been compromised, according to Ms. Solheim. WHC was able to recover its data and return most of its systems online by 9 p.m. on June 15, Ms. Solheim says.

Editors Note: This post originally stated, in error, that the hospital's insurance company advised the hospital not to pay the ransom. However, it was the hospital's decision not to pay the ransom. This article has since been updated. Becker's Hospital Review apologizes for this error.

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