FEBRUARY 2, 2023
FREE
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
AGH computer network hijacked Ransomware attack locks hospital out of system, but critical work proceeds By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer By Stewart Dobson Editor (Feb. 2, 2023) Atlantic General Hospital officials and federal authorities are still investigating the source and severity of a cybersecurity attack that seized control of the hospital’s computer network Sunday, and continues to hold it for ransom. “Atlantic General Hospital is experiencing a ransomware event within our network,” Toni Keiser, the hospital’s vice president of public relations, said in an email Monday afternoon.
“We are working diligently to investigate the source of this disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible. The incident has caused network outage issues with limited patient interruption.” A ransomware attack is when hackers plant encrypted files in a computer system that lock out the network’s owner. The perpetrators then demand payment for the keys to unlock the encryptions. Keiser said in another email on Tuesday that information technology personnel alerted hospital administrators to the issue early Sunday morning. She said officials have been “working around the clock” since to restore the system.
In the meantime, the hospital has employed “downtime procedures,” which means staff are using other means to handle information that is not dependent on the central computer system. Keiser said AGH department heads and administrators are following plans to care for patients safely and maintain hospital operations using non-network practices. The focus of the procedures is “to ensure patient safety and continuity of care when clinical systems are impaired or completely unavailable,” she said. Keiser also said that hospital personnel are doing whatever they can to protect the privacy and security of all information within the system, which includes patient records. And that as-
sumes they have anything to do, as federal cybersecurity officials say a ransomware attack does not always compromise sensitive data. According to the Federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, the goal of ransomware attacks is to strike quickly, take over a system, collect a ransom to re-open it and move on to the next target. A data breach, however, can be a separate event that takes more time because accessing the information in a system involves more than gaining entry. It means getting to files through more layers of security and, in the case of sensitive information, cracking the encryptions that protect those files. Even while the network is down, the hospital’s emergency room is still See EMERGENCY Page 7
Committee worries about loss of trees ... and geese keep tearing up shoreline around pond
CINDY HOFFMAN/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
The Environment and Natural Assets Committee is looking at ways to address erosion and the growing goose population at the South Pond.
By Cindy Hoffman Staff Writer (Feb. 2, 2023) The Environment and Natural Assets Committee met on Jan. 25 with a full roster of projects to pursue for the year. “It has been brought to our attention that too many healthy trees are being removed in our community,” Committee Chair Sharon Santacroce said. “We hope to educate residents as to the important role trees play in our environment as well as take a close look at the permitting process.” Some residents have cut down all of their trees, even healthy ones. Many new home sites are clear-cut in preparation for construction, a process some members of the committee did not believe occurred hisSee MATERIAL Page 6
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