The Villages hospital crippled by ransomware attack

[Boffin]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

[dewilson58]

Cut & Paste a rumor. :ohdear:

[Becca9800]

Cut & Paste a rumor. :ohdear:

Hoping you're right bc that would be a nightmare.

Front page news @ https://www.**************.com/

WHY will TOTV not allow me to paste a link to the source @ Villages News?

[dewilson58]

Hoping you're right bc that would be a nightmare.

Front page news @ https://www.**************.com/

WHY will TOTV not allow me to paste a link to the source @ Villages News?

ToTV never has allowed the like.
Jus call it, the anti-Villages online "news" site.
:clap2:

[stanley]

Cut & Paste a rumor. :ohdear:
Still from the other place but

The Villages hospital crippled by ransomware attack - News Break (https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2269604555446/the-villages-hospital-crippled-by-ransomware-attack)

[Villageswimmer]

If the other “news” outlet had revealed its source, this story would carry some credibility.

[dewilson58]

The Villages hospital crippled by ransomware attack - News Break (https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2269604555446/the-villages-hospital-crippled-by-ransomware-attack)

I know.
It's a rumor.

[stanley]

It's quite possible
Federal Agencies Warn of Ransomware Attacks on US Hospitals (https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/public-safety/2020/10/29/federal-agencies-warn-of-ransomware-attacks-on-us-hospitals)

[Becca9800]

ToTV never has allowed the like.
Jus call it, the anti-Villages online "news" site.
:clap2:

My impression of Villages News has been.... what a rag. Just the stories they put out, many of which seemingly have a purpose only to shame. Why does it need to be made public that a man lost his head and fought with his 35-year wedded wife. Why do I need to know, or care, that a couple was arrested for having intimate relations in the Square? Or that an adult child of a Village resident was arrested for whatever?

Sooo I'm thinking my impression was correct. No? Next point of clarification requested: I've seen references on TOTV to "the other" site.... why is that site referred to that way? I haven't figured out why the name is never used. Let me in on the secret!!

[dewilson58]

Next point of clarification requested: I've seen references on TOTV to "the other" site.... why is that site referred to that way? I haven't figured out why the name is never used. Let me in on the secret!!

Online advertising dollar competition.

[laboutj]

Not a rumor. May not be 'pen and paper' as that news source said, but it happened.

[Carla B]

Becca9800: The online news is referred to as "the other site" because when it began we'd weren't allowed to refer to it by its name. Guess it still is that way.

[justjim]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

I was visiting a friend yesterday at UF Leesburg Hospital shortly after noon and the computers were inoperable. I wasn’t given a reason, nor ask for one so your guess is as good as mine. I will say the staff seemed very concern and the situation rather chaotic. Was it a cyber attack or just another internal computer system problem?

[Becca9800]

Thanks for the explanations. But I'm still not getting it.

It sounds as if
1. TOTV owns Village News and we can't reference the other site by name bc of online advertising competition. But that doesn't make sense bc TOTV wouldn't allow me to paste a link to Village News on this site.
OR
2. no mention of business by name is allowed by TOTV. But that makes no sense either, businesses are mentioned by name constantly on this site.

So I'm missing something still. 5 years ago I would have gotten this but my snyapses aren't synapsing so good these days :doh:

[justjim]

ToTV never has allowed the like.
Jus call it, the anti-Villages online "news" site.
:clap2:

The so called “other digital only paper” could be called anti-Daily Sun or an alternative to the Daily Sun. They do carry “letters to the editor” both pro and con regarding the Villages Developer. As said, there is usually two sides to most opinions and stories.

[justjim]

If the other “news” outlet had revealed its source, this story would carry some credibility.

Many “news” outlets do not reveal their sources in order to protect the source. I’m not saying that is the case here nor have an opinion one way or the other.

[dewilson58]

Many “news” outlets do not reveal their sources in order to protect the source. I’m not saying that is the case here nor have an opinion one way or the other.

The source was probably a hairdresser.
I you look at the site, they are asking for people to contact them if a peep knows anything.
Speaks volumes.
:1rotfl:

[John41]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

Rumor has it the hackers are demanding an increase in the impact fee.

[retiredguy123]

My impression of Villages News has been.... what a rag. Just the stories they put out, many of which seemingly have a purpose only to shame. Why does it need to be made public that a man lost his head and fought with his 35-year wedded wife. Why do I need to know, or care, that a couple was arrested for having intimate relations in the Square? Or that an adult child of a Village resident was arrested for whatever?

Sooo I'm thinking my impression was correct. No? Next point of clarification requested: I've seen references on TOTV to "the other" site.... why is that site referred to that way? I haven't figured out why the name is never used. Let me in on the secret!!
In most cases, they don't make it public because it is already public information. A lot of the stories are more interesting than the national stories shown on the 24 hour cable news TV channels.

[vintageogauge]

It was just on WESH news and they showed Leesburg and TV hospitals stating that both have been hacked. I would tend to believe their report.

[jojo]

I volunteer there on Tuesdays. It happened I was told at 10 pm Monday night and created huge problems. The staff were doing the best they could in very difficult circumstances.

[graciegirl]

The online news is more quick to report things that do not show Villagers in a good light. Meta Minton was Editor of The Daily Sun for many years before she started the "other" on line news. I know her and she is a bright person and a decent one too. She and her husband are avid bike riders and are good people.

I like to know who beats their wife and who gets arrested for drinking and driving. I am both a busy body and one who believes that telling things like that MAY deter more of it from happening.

If we all thought the same, what would we debate on here?

[Northwoods]

The so called “other digital only paper” could be called anti-Daily Sun or an alternative to the Daily Sun. They do carry “letters to the editor” both pro and con regarding the Villages Developer. As said, there is usually two sides to most opinions and stories.

They carry both pro and con? Wow... I’m not sure what version I’ve been reading.
My opinion is “that online newspaper” is as anti-Developer as The Daily Sun is pro- developer.

[Jrsgvsg60]

I had test there and they performed all aspects from registration to test completely professional with very little extra time considering they were working like the good old days. No computers. Everything ran smoothly.

[dewilson58]

I know her and she is a bright person and a decent one too.

I like to know who beats their wife and who gets arrested for drinking and driving. I am both a busy body and one who believes that telling things like that MAY deter more of it from happening.



Sarcasm Sheldon???

[Allen Dronsfield]

It's no rumor, I can officially state as the Leesburg Hospital people called me yesterday about my surgery this morning (Friday). They stated they had been hacked and were forced back to the old days of pen and paper..

[mlmarr1]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirm what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.



its everywhere... cyberwarfare ... program used by many medical factifies compromised by a foreign entity .. just like the pipeline, meat packing companies..etc

[MandoMan]

My impression of Villages News has been.... what a rag. Just the stories they put out, many of which seemingly have a purpose only to shame. Why does it need to be made public that a man lost his head and fought with his 35-year wedded wife. Why do I need to know, or care, that a couple was arrested for having intimate relations in the Square? Or that an adult child of a Village resident was arrested for whatever?

Sooo I'm thinking my impression was correct. No? Next point of clarification requested: I've seen references on TOTV to "the other" site.... why is that site referred to that way? I haven't figured out why the name is never used. Let me in on the secret!!

What I like about it, deplorable as it is, is that if there is a crime in the area, you can be sure it will be mentioned, accurately or not. As no crimes against homes in The Villages have been mentioned, to my knowledge, in the past year, I assume that there have been none. A tiny number of villagers are battering each other or driving under the influence, but our houses aren’t being burgled, and we aren’t being mugged, and that’s what I care about. There is occasional shoplifting at area stores on the outskirts, but the stores and police officers deal effectively with that, and I don’t see that sort of people in my neighborhood. I feel completely safe here. Crime happens in Leesburg, Wildwood, Ocala, etc. I avoid those places.

I find that if I take a hot shower and scrub with soap right after reading the rag, I can feel clean again. However, I try hard not to accidentally touch any of the click-bait ads. If I do, I might need extra scrubbing.

As for holding up pipelines and hospitals for ransom, perhaps we should hire some of the many hit men and hit women in television programs to quietly eliminate the hackers. Raymond Levington of The Blacklist, we need you! Hacking is utterly despicable.

[Bcenter]

I know.
It's a rumor.

Not a rumor. Know people that work there. They are using pen and paper and the phones are out too. They have to use runners between departments. Very dangerous especially for critical patients. IMHO, as an RN, admissions and elective surgery should be put on hold

[daca55]

I am not in the Villages at this time so I don’t know if the ransom happened or not. However it’s only a matter of time before these bandits cripple our countries essential systems which will affect all of us. Our country along with other countries of the world should gather the best Computer system experts and lead in putting a stop to these bandits before lots of people get hurt. To keep complying with their demands of payment has to stop. We need to tell our leaders that this has to be a priority and put a stop to this blackmailing now.

[La lamy]

I was sent a letter stating I owed the Villages hospital money which I know I don't. Always keep statements of any money paid. Didn't send money.

[JMintzer]

Sarcasm Sheldon???

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.khIz-K_w3GIISAWRLjlulQAAAA&pid=Api&P=0&w=329&h=186

[KSSunshine]

I know.
It's a rumor.

Not sure where you get your information... My husband was at The Villages Hospital on Tuesday for Pre-surgery paperwork which was all done by hand as computers were down. On Wednesday, he had his surgery with computers and phones still down. Nursing staff entering information via paper charts. While I have no first hand knowledge of the cause, I can verify through direct observation that nursing staff was doing a phenomenal job (as did our surgeon and the OR staff). The "older" experienced nurses were mentoring the younger staff who hadn't needed to chart via paper prior to this. All were giving great effort and service. My point is that something major happened to cause the system to be down for two consecutive days.

[FromNY]

Happened to have a medical appointment that day which was delayed because of computer shut down. At that point ,Wed AM they were unsure who or what was responsible. So not fake news. The system went down. Info was direct from a department chair person.Shared with me as a health care professional.

Seriously this is happening all over. Nothing is safe anymore from hackers. Sad world we are in.

[JoelJohnson]

I was at the doctor's yesterday on Santa Barbara, no problem the computers were working.

[DIver0258]

Ransomware attacks have been hitting corporations for years. A few years ago Marersk Shipping was hit, recently CMA- CGM was hit. Both of these instances creates a stoppage of 2 major transportation players for over a week. Companies are attempting to educate employees about phishing scams that allow the worm into the system. So it is entirely possible the hospital was hit. Remember the Colonial Pipeline was hit recently. As for TOV they have put protocols into play to prevent harassment and escalation of posts. TVN is an anti-developer ad driven online forum that will post just about anything regardless of full factual information. Most of the time they only write part of the story. I assume their sources are limited.

[richs631]

FYI. The Villages News is in no way affiliated with the Villages and is a total rag site. Been living in the villages for two years and stopped reading from their site after 3 mos months of totally false stories. I wouldn’t believe that site if they told me the sky was blue

[OhioBuckeye]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.
The bad thing about this is, the companies or businesses
are paying these terrorist off, now they’re like other companies & our legal systems aren’t doing anything about it.

[retiredguy123]

Whatever happened to the mandatory standardized medical records part of the Affordable Care law? In hindsight, it is probably a good thing that it was never enforced, or the entire U.S. health care system could be held hostage by hackers.

[jimkerr]

These ransomware attacks happen more than you think.

[Becca9800]

Every hospital I've worked at had processes in place for computer downtime, regardless the reason. Also, they had security in place to prevent hacking, they know cyber attacks are a reality as hospitals have long been targets. Problem is, the hackers are one step ahead devising new ways to gain entry into the secured systems.

The real risk in being hacked is to the patients when suddenly their medical/surgical histories are unavailable to health care providers. Many people are terrible historians when it comes to their own medical care. It's not bc these people are stupid, they simply forget. This leaves providers working in the dark.

Any care provided during downtime has to be manually entered when the system comes back up. I can only imagine how much of that information is lost in the transfer from paper to computer. The next provider now is working with an incomplete history.

My advice to every patient: put your pen to paper, write down your allergies to meds, current meds w dose and how often it's taken, significant medical and surgical history, list your physicians and emergency contact and carry it in your wallet.

[Indydealmaker]

Hoping you're right bc that would be a nightmare.

Front page news @ https://www.**************.com/

WHY will TOTV not allow me to paste a link to the source @ Villages News?

Two reasons: 1. They are a competitor and 2. The Villages News is anti-anything related to the villages.

[WinnieHa]

In the hospital now and this is NOT a rumor. Doctors and nurses talking about it freely. Staff seem extremely frustrated and will admit it is putting patients at risk. I hear it’s on the news but haven’t confirmed that but seeing it first hand.

[J1ceasar]

gotta wonder if they still do the "chart" at the foot of the bed ???


UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

[graciegirl]

I was at the doctor's yesterday on Santa Barbara, no problem the computers were working.

The hospital is a separate entity from The Village Health.

The hospital is not related in business to The Village Health facilities scattered about our Town.

The building of the hospital is owned by the developer and rented to the current hospital business that runs it. Which is University of Florida.

The Village Health buildings are owned by the developer and run by the developer.

[Spalumbos62]

The source was probably a hairdresser.
I you look at the site, they are asking for people to contact them if a peep knows anything.
Speaks volumes.
:1rotfl:


People that "think" they know everything, but really don't should not always add their two cents. They try to project some sort of authoritative security, when really they know nothing themselves....don't you hate that?

[RedChariot]

I know.
It's a rumor.

Wrong. It's on the front page of the Daily Sun.

[Villages Kahuna]

Reports of computer systems being hacked and shut down at both our regional hospitals is NOT A RUMOR!

I can attest to the fact that The Villages Regional Hospital is noticeably quiet, presumably because of the effect of the ransomware attack on its computer systems.

We live across the street from the hospital and had not heard a siren or helicopter in almost a week. And the TVRH parking lots have noticeable numbers of empty spaces compared to normal.

[dewilson58]

People that "think" they know everything, but really don't should not always add their two cents. They try to project some sort of authoritative security, when really they know nothing themselves....don't you hate that?

Hairdressers always know.

[rtharner]

ABC Nightly News just reported on The Villages Hospital Ransomware Case. FBI investigating.

[Summerhouse]

Cut & Paste a rumor. :ohdear:

Actually on ABC national news as verified.

[crash]

I know.
It's a rumor.

Was on the national news so not a rumor.

[mlmarr1]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

UF/other hospital or facilities under UF DO NOT use the same PMR operating program .. get the facts before you spread ..

[Bay Kid]

This is happening more and more. Private industry according to the govern. No govern protection. Something is going on.

[Girlcopper]

UF Health-The Villages Hospital has been forced to operate by pen and paper thanks to a ransomware attack which has shut down the computer system.

The hospital has not officially acknowledged the attack, but an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed what has taken place, both at the hospital in The Villages and Leesburg Regional Medical Center.

Both hospitals operate under the UF Health system. Other hospitals in that system are reportedly not impacted and functioning normally.

So? I dont work there and I doubt you do. Who cares? Unless youre insinuating that the staff is so illiterate they do not know how to use a pen or pencil.

[Debfrommaine]

Have to say thank you to the entire staff - they have been through a lot with Covid and now this.

[dewilson58]

Have to say thank you to the entire staff - they have been through a lot with Covid and now this.

:bigbow:

[graciegirl]

:bigbow:

Sometimes we have to admit we are wrong.

[Tadpole]

Sometimes we have to admit we are wrong.

So true; thank you Graciegirl. Hopefully people will take note and shut up. I volunteer at UFH TV. They’ve been shut down since Monday and are doing miraculously well the good old fashion way with pen and paper. Working hard, staying cool, and getting their jobs done.

[RuthA]

I talked to a person with inside information that 3 hospitals had had a cyber attack and all their computers were down. Some things were being hand-delivered to other doctor's offices.

[OhioBuckeye]

Boffin, I’m sure that someone is trying to stop this but if the govt. is going to bow down to their demands & pay them off, why would this person or persons quit hacking peoples or companies computers. People voted for this administration to keep things like this from happening, well they got what they wanted. Just like they did to the pipeline & our man that running the govt. said, “Man I’m in charge now”. You can’t buy these hackers off & expect it to stop.

[Spalumbos62]

Sometimes we have to admit we are wrong.


Gracie, don't waste your breath....that admittance or apology will not happen. Seems like some people here blurt out "something they heard", it spreads like wildfire, it's obviously wrong...lol and they keep supporting it. It cracks me up. How can someone be so old,have so much life experience yet not realize how stupid they look. 🤷*♀️

Have a great day.

[Bucco]

Boffin, I’m sure that someone is trying to stop this but if the govt. is going to bow down to their demands & pay them off, why would this person or persons quit hacking peoples or companies computers. People voted for this administration to keep things like this from happening, well they got what they wanted. Just like they did to the pipeline & our man that running the govt. said, “Man I’m in charge now”. You can’t buy these hackers off & expect it to stop.

First this is purely political and not allowed.

In addition you are wrong.....government does not pay....the company hijacked is paying. And this has been going on for some time....YEARS.

Nobody wants to hear THIS or anykind of computer hijacking (elections, disinformation, etc) for whatever reason. Hearngs held and mocked in the past

[dewilson58]

I talked to a person with inside information that 3 hospitals had had a cyber attack and all their computers were down.

Yepper!!

Cyber attack is true.

Ransomware attack is an unconfirmed rumor.

:ho:

[graciegirl]

Yepper!!

Cyber attack is true.

Ransomware attack is an unconfirmed rumor.

:ho:

Well thought and well said. I freely admit my errors and am willing to wear sackcloth and ashes. You, like most MEN, rarely speak incorrectly. ;)

[Nucky]

Several weeks before the Hospitals were hit the number you call to get an appointment to see a doctor was down for almost an entire day. The staff was in shock. They did their best to keep things rolling. Maybe it was just a warmup before they went after the hospital's system.

Damn shame. They have certainly helped a whole lot of people in the Hospital even with their shortcomings. They certainly have upset a whole lot of people also. Draw your own conclusion.

[jimh24444@gmail.com]

I was at the ER Wed night, ER packed, all 47 ER beds full, 42 in the hallways. Very scary stuff.

[Taltarzac725]

Was at a Villages' hospital building yesterday and the woman taking my Mom's vitals had said that it went down Monday night and for them anyway it was only a few hours. She had to do things by hand for a few hours rather than using the computer.

They were using the computers yesterday afternoon.

This might have affected buildings differently. We were down by Brownwood at The Villages Health Specialty Care at the Center for Advanced Healthcare.

And with these matters you often get conflicting stories.

[pmken2]

The hospital doesn't get much good press, but my husband was taken to the emergency room on Wed during the computers being taken down. It was a little slow because everything was being done on paper. He was admitted and released on Friday. The doctors and nurses were wonderful. They had to go back to old school and they never lost their cool. They don't get enough praise and under these trying circumstances they do deserve praise, or at least from us. Thanks for your caring service.

[Debfrommaine]

I was at the doctor's yesterday on Santa Barbara, no problem the computers were working.

That's good, let's hope hackers stay away from doctor's offices and Villages Health. These are not the same company as TVRH, LRMC and Brownwood ER.

[Bucco]

The hospital doesn't get much good press, but my husband was taken to the emergency room on Wed during the computers being taken down. It was a little slow because everything was being done on paper. He was admitted and released on Friday. The doctors and nurses were wonderful. They had to go back to old school and they never lost their cool. They don't get enough praise and under these trying circumstances they do deserve praise, or at least from us. Thanks for your caring service.

Nice post.

I used to visit that building before it became a hospital (had workout facilities, etc)......remember they announce it was coming and was there for the dedication.

Thankfully, I have never had to actually "use" the facilities, but I know many who worked or still work there, and their dedication to healing.

With all the negative pub that comes at it, hoping the bad publicity goes away.......keep in mind...your post is unique.....most only post on here to complain.

Again, I thank you for your positive post

[Marty94]

Hacking networks in hospitals and holding them for ransom is becoming more prevalent as it’s an easy way to make quick money. Hospitals are particularly vulnerable as they hold your entire identity to include your DOB, SSN, blood type, etc. How profitable is it to sell your identity on the dark web?

During the height of Covid, schools were often targeted. It didn’t make front page news, but it was happening. My neighbor, a school Principal, said they had to pay out $1M at his school; a neighboring school had been hit twice.

As a country, we have to find solutions quickly to protect these networks. Any business that uses a network should be taking every precaution to protect them.

[dewilson58]

As a country, we have to find solutions quickly to protect these networks. Any business that uses a network should be taking every precaution to protect them.

Solutions are available.
It's a cat & mouse game.

As a very basic, baseline............organizations need to segregate systems and platforms.
Internet connected applications should never be touching critical internal applications.

[DeeCee Dubya]

Not surprised by anything re IT inThe Villages.

Last I knew The Villages realty company was still using Windows 7 on all of their PCs. They don’t even put out security patches anymore on this out of date version.

But think of the money they saved :-) ;-)

[Topspinmo]

IMO until, the time fits the crime it will continue. IMO any hacker hacking hospital and caught minimum sentence should be 50 years to life? Why you say so harsh. People could die. Caught? key word, seems the can never catch hacker on this level, but they know every banking transactions and health issues I have. Also IMO Bitcoin, dogcoin, any cyber money should be against law if can’t track transaction. That’s why they want Bitcoin payments.

[JMintzer]

First this is purely political and not allowed.

https://media4.giphy.com/media/lszAB3TzFtRaU/giphy.gif