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Kettering Health, a healthcare network operating 14 medical centers and over 120 outpatient facilities in western Ohio, has been hit by a ransomware attack causing a system-wide technology outage. The cyberattack, which occurred on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, has forced the cancellation of elective inpatient and outpatient procedures and has disrupted access to critical patient care systems, including phone lines, the call center, and the MyChart patient portal. Emergency services remain operational, but emergency crews are being diverted to other facilities due to the disruption. Kettering Health has confirmed they are responding to the cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to its network and has taken steps to contain and mitigate the breach, while actively investigating the situation.

The ransomware attack is suspected to involve the Interlock ransomware gang, which emerged last fall and has targeted various sectors, including tech, manufacturing firms, and government organizations. A ransom note, viewed by CNN, claimed the attackers had secured Kettering Health's most vital files and threatened to leak stolen data unless the health network began negotiating an extortion fee. In response to the disruption, Kettering Health has canceled elective procedures and is rescheduling them for a later date. Additionally, the organization is cautioning patients about scam calls from individuals posing as Kettering Health team members requesting credit card payments and has halted normal billing calls as a precaution.

The incident highlights the increasing cybersecurity challenges facing healthcare systems. According to cybersecurity experts, healthcare networks often operate with outdated technology and lack comprehensive cybersecurity training for staff, making them vulnerable to attacks. There is a call to action to invest in healthcare cybersecurity, with recommendations for the government and its partners to address understaffed healthcare cyber programs by tweaking federal healthcare funding programs to cover critical cybersecurity expenditures, augmenting healthcare cybersecurity workforces and incentivizing cyber maturity.


References :

• industrialcyber.co: Ransomware suspected in Kettering Health cyberattack disrupting patient services, canceling elective procedures
• BleepingComputer: Kettering Health, a healthcare network that operates 14 medical centers in Ohio, was forced to cancel inpatient and outpatient procedures following a cyberattack that caused a system-wide technology outage.
• www.bleepingcomputer.com: Kettering Health, a healthcare network that operates 14 medical centers in Ohio, was forced to cancel inpatient and outpatient procedures following a cyberattack that caused a system-wide technology outage. [...]
• DataBreaches.Net: Elective inpatient and outpatient procedures were canceled.
• thecyberexpress.com: Kettering Health Hit by Cyberattack: Network Outage and Scam Calls Reported
• The DefendOps Diaries: Strengthening Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Lessons from the Kettering Health Ransomware Attack
• BleepingComputer: Kettering Health hit by system-wide outage after ransomware attack
• The Dysruption Hub: Reports Ransomware Attack Cripples Kettering Health Systems Across Ohio
• www.healthcareitnews.com: Kettering Health faces a ransomware attack and confirms a scam targeting its patients
• www.scworld.com: Apparent ransomware attack leads to systemwide outage for Kettering Health
• Industrial Cyber: Reports Ransomware suspected in Kettering Health cyberattack disrupting patient services, canceling elective procedures
• www.itpro.com: The incident at Kettering Health disrupted procedures for patients
• www.cybersecuritydive.com: Ohio’s Kettering Health hit by cyberattack

Classification:

• HashTags: #ransomware #cyberattack #healthcare
• Company: Kettering Health
• Target: Kettering Health
• Feature: network outage
• Type: Ransomware
• Severity: Major