DaVita kidney care clinics hit by ransomware attack
A chain of kidney dialysis centers was hit by a ransomware attack that impacted operations and took part of its systems offline.
DaVita said in a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it discovered the breach of its network on April 12, and in response, deployed “containment measures, including proactively isolating impacted systems.”
The kidney care provider said that, while some operations have been disrupted, it is still providing care to patients. It did not disclose a timeline for when its centers would once again be fully operational, adding that it “cannot estimate the duration or extent of the disruption at this time.”
However, DaVita did confirm to the SEC that the attack “encrypted certain elements” of its network. Specifics on whether there was an associated ransomware demand—as well as details on how cybercriminals were able to gain access—were not revealed.
DaVita operates more than 2,600 outpatient dialysis centers nationwide. Whether the ransomware attack impacted some or all of them is still unknown, as an investigation is presumably ongoing.
As of press time on Tuesday, the company has yet to release a public statement about the data breach, and nothing has been posted on its website. However, in comments to media outlets, a spokesperson said “teams, along with external cybersecurity experts, are actively investigating this matter and working to restore systems as quickly as possible.”
DaVita is a publicly traded company. However, news of the hack appears to have minimally impacted its stock price.
HealthExec reached out to DaVita for more details, including if a ransom demand stemmed from the attack and if patient data was moved offsite. The company sent the following statement:
"We are currently experiencing a cyber incident that has impacted certain systems in our network. We have activated backup systems and manual processes to ensure there's no disruption to patient care. Our teams, along with external cybersecurity experts, are actively investigating this matter and working to restore systems as quickly as possible."
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.