Published Nov 10, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Every day our local media reveal increasingly shocking information about the recent ransomware attack at TransForm, the Chatham-based organization founded by the five Erie St. Clair hospitals to manage their hospital IT, supply chain and accounts payable needs.
It is my understanding that any organization is potentially vulnerable to such an attack.
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My primary concern is that nearly two weeks after computer systems at five hospitals were breached, there was no sign that hospital operations were getting back to normal.
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Initial media releases stated that administration had taken the system down “out of an abundance of caution,” but that patient care would not be impacted.
Yet, the public was subsequently informed that cancer patients were being sent out of town for treatment, elective surgeries were being cancelled, payroll systems had been compromised, and confidential patient data was released.
How was it possible that critically important infrastructure impacting some 500,000 people was not properly protected?
Was this due to a lack of oversight, or insufficient investment in resilient systems with adequate redundancy built in? Whatever the backup procedures, it is evident they were not strong enough to restore the systems after the attack occurred. The news that the attackers released patient data raises the question of whether this data was properly encrypted.
I appreciate that people are working around-the-clock to restore the systems as soon as possible. I am also thankful that TransForm is not giving in to the ransom demands.
However, when this debacle ends, a thorough investigation is needed to ensure something like this can never happen again. Those in decision-making positions need to be held to account for lax controls that enabled the ransomware attack to have such a disastrous outcome in our hospitals.
Philippa von Ziegenweidt
Windsor
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