Fremont Hospital Hit By Ransomware Cyberattack

FREMONT, CA — Fremont Hospital in Fremont, which provides in-patient and out-patient mental health services, is part of a system that has been hit by a ransomware cyberattack, according to reports.

The facility is operated by Universal Health Services Inc., and the entire system has been impacted, more than 400 hospitals and clinics.

The company said “patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively” and no patient or employee data appears to have been “accessed, copied or misused.”

Ransomware is when hackers infect networks with malicious code that encrypts data, and then the hackers demand payment to restore services. Companies, colleges and universities, governments and healthcare networks have all been targeted by hackers.

NBC News reports that a patient in Germany died earlier this month as a result of a cyberattack. Patient histories, medications, and test results and all computerized.