The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says it is restoring IT systems following a cyber security incident that took place last week. “The team is working hand in hand with cybersecurity experts, law enforcement, and other agencies to understand what happened, reduce further risks, and restore the services you expect from us,” said MLHU CEO Emily Williams. Officials say the incident was discovered on Thursday, and countermeasures were deployed to prevent any further access. This included taking many systems offline to protect them. “This weekend we got many of our computers back and running,” said Williams. “Our phone systems have been restored. Many, but not all our software systems are operational today. There may be some resulting delays, but things continue to improve.” Technology analyst Carmi Levy says while we don’t know the exact nature of the incident, it seems to “mimic” similar situations involving other organizations in health care. “It seems to have the signature of what looks to be like a ransomware attack,” said Levy. When asked if this was a ransomware attack, the MLHU said, “As this matter is currently under investigation we cannot provide any details regarding the nature.” Levy says when there is a ransomware attack, the first inclination is to shut down affected systems. “Prevent the spread and keep the data you already have secure so that further damage does not occur,” said Levy. He says AI is rapidly increasing the frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks like this one “Like all technologies, AI gives and takes away so it’s up to us to make sure that we’re using it to maximize our protection against what is becoming an increasingly frightening threat landscape,” said Levy. Meanwhile the agency says it will continue to work with cybersecurity experts to restore remaining systems and determine any impacted parties. “We know this really matters to the community as it matters to us,” said Megan Cornwell, manager of communications at MLHU. “We will be issuing information as it becomes available.” The incident was reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Health, law enforcement, and municipal partners.
