Nebraska Medicine says normal operations should resume ‘in days’ after cyberattack | Local News

The statement did not include any further information about the attack’s nature, extent or origins .

Officials noted in the statement that attacks on health care organizations are “rapidly increasing, and we are constantly assessing our security measures to help prevent cyber security incidents.”

With the advent of electronic health records, health systems collect and store a significant amount of information about patients.

Other hospital systems have had to deal with computer security problems. In February 2019, a device brought into a CHI Health location by a third-party vendor introduced a virus, also known as malware, into the health system’s network.

In 2018, Anthem Inc., the nation’s second-largest health insurer, agreed to pay the federal government what was then a record $16 million to settle potential privacy violations in what was labeled at the time as the biggest known health care hack in U.S. history, the Associated Press reported.

The statement said officials notified law enforcement after discovering the attack. When asked whether the FBI was assisting with the investigation, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Omaha office said the agency was aware of the situation at Nebraska Medicine and had offered assistance.

Patients have expressed frustration, with some saying they had not been notified of canceled appointments.