One of America's largest healthcare providers, Ascension Health, has revealed that a major ransomware attack compromised sensitive data belonging to 5.5 million individuals. The cyber incident, carried out by the BlackBasta ransomware group, was discovered in May 2024 after the initial breach occurred on February 29, 2024.
The attackers gained unauthorized access to Ascension's systems and extracted sensitive information over a two-day period in May. The stolen data includes medical records, financial details, insurance information, government IDs, and personal identifiers of patients.
While the breach impacted millions of records, Ascension confirmed that their core Electronic Health Records (EHR) system remained uncompromised, preserving the security of complete medical histories.
The St. Louis-based nonprofit health system promptly alerted law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), after detecting the intrusion. By December 19, 2024, Ascension began notifying affected individuals through written communications.
As part of their response, Ascension is providing comprehensive support services to impacted patients, including:
- 24 months of credit and CyberScan monitoring
- $1 million identity theft insurance
- Fully managed identity theft recovery services
The organization recommends that affected individuals monitor their credit reports closely, consider placing fraud alerts on their credit files, and remain watchful for potential phishing attempts using the stolen information.
Affected patients can access support through Ascension's dedicated response site or contact their helpline at (866) 724-3233 for assistance with protective measures.
The incident ranks among the largest healthcare data breaches reported in recent years, highlighting ongoing cybersecurity challenges faced by major healthcare providers.