Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei yesterday said it is investigating claims that 16.6 million documents containing patient data were leaked, urging people to be aware of online scams.
The leaked data appear to be medical records, but authorities have yet to confirm if they are from Mackay, said Lee Chien-chang (李建璋), director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Information Management.
Unlike similar situations abroad, the attack did not interrupt the hospital’s ability to care for patients, Lee said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
However, hackers encrypted and stole data at the same time, Lee added.
After the Mackay Memorial Hospital cyberattack early last month, Changhua Christian Hospital was also attacked using the same “Crazy Hunter” software.
Following this, the Ministry of Health and Welfare put together Taiwan’s first guidelines on standard operating procedures for hospitals to respond to ransomware attacks.
In response to the claims that hackers are seeking to sell documents allegedly related to the ransomware attacks, Mackay Memorial Hospital yesterday released a statement addressing the situation.
First, the hospital follows a zero-trust cybersecurity model and alerted relevant authorities at the health ministry as well as the Investigation Bureau, it said.
It is cooperating with experts, and as this is an active investigation, it can no longer provide comment, it added.
The hospital warned the public about potential scams stemming from the incident, reminding people to not follow instructions about ATM transfers or provide any personal information over the phone.
People who suspect scam attempts should contact the government’s 165 anti-fraud hotline, and concerned people can call the hospital’s cybersecurity hotline at (02) 2543-3535 extension 3564, it said.
The hospital also said it would continue to improve its cybersecurity through system updates and employee training, adding that it remains committed to providing high-quality care to patients.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
RSS