"We'll find out, but it won't be tomorrow," he said. Haggie said it's too soon to know if his province's security measures had shortcomings or failed to heed the federal warnings, and he said there will be a post-mortem to examine these issues.
Earlier that year, hackers damaged the computer systems of three Ontario hospitals, using malware known as "Ryuk." In October 2020, reports indicated Montreal's Jewish General Hospital had to postpone appointments after a cyberattack forced the local health board to disconnect its servers from the internet. He said cybercriminals have shifted toward targeting high-value, large-scale enterprises, known as "targeted ransomware" or "big game hunting." He added that the cyber centre has noticed a rise in threats related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the threat of ransomware attacks on the country's front-line health-care and medical research facilities. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security - a division of the federal government's Communications Security Establishment - issued an alert in October 2020 warning of an increasing risk of cyberattacks using ransomware on Canadian health systems.Įvan Koronewski, a spokesman for theCommunications Security Establishment, said in an email, "We assess that cybercriminals will almost certainly continue to jeopardize patient outcomes and wider public health efforts by deploying ransomware for financial gain against a vulnerable health sector, including the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain." It's highly probable it's ransomware, as this (phenomenon) is spreading across the country," Waterhouse said. "I believe it is ransomware that got inside of that (computer system) and crippled the operation. Health systems are prime targets for cyberattacks because they are essential services and the public can't tolerate losing access to medical care for extended periods, he said. Steve Waterhouse, a former information systems security officer with the Defence Department, said in an interview Monday the damage to Newfoundland and Labrador's health system bears all the hallmarks of a ransomware attack. The minister would only say the investigation is ongoing. Haggie, however, decline to comment about whether the damage was due to what's known as a ransomware attack - in which hackers demand payment in exchange for restoring access. The health authorities in western Newfoundland and Labrador hadn't been hit as hard, while the health authority in central Newfoundland was affected but less severely than in the eastern region, Haggie said. "We can't handle the same volume in a paper-based system, so it's safer to reschedule," he said. Physicians, he added, have told him that without X-rays and CT scans being available electronically, it would be safer to delay appointments and procedures for several days. Eastern Health CEO David Diamond said his agency has lost access to everything from basic email to diagnostic images and lab results, adding that non-urgent medical procedures are likely to be cancelled again on Tuesday. Newfoundland and Labrador's Eastern Health region was hardest hit, leading to the cancellation Monday of all non-emergency medical appointments and procedures. Our main aim here now is to mitigate the effect and maintain some continuity of service for the people of this province," Haggie said. "It has taken out the brain of the data centre. He said the "possible cyberattack by a third party" was first detected Saturday. The "brain" of the network's data centre, operated by Bell, has been damaged, including the main and backup computer systems, Health Minister John Haggie told reporters Monday. A suspected cyberattack on Newfoundland and Labrador's health network has led to the cancellation of thousands of medical appointments across the province and forced some local health systems to revert to paper.
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