Lahav 433's cyber unit has opened a criminal investigation into Wednesday's hacking of the computers at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera and the hackers' demand for a ransom in exchange for the release of the still-locked computer systems, the Israel Police Spokesperson said.
The investigators will collaborate with international law-enforcement agencies, the spokesperson said.
Any other information about the investigation was placed under a gag order.
Since the attack, which occurred without any prior warning, the hospital has been using alternate systems while treating patients and has been writing patients’ information down by hand. The hospital is operating as normal, except for elective, non-urgent operations. All critical equipment is working as it should, including CT and MRI scanners, however, a large portion of the backed-up data was compromised with no way of being restored.
In the meantime, Laniado Medical Center in Netanya is prepared to accept patients who cannot be treated at Hillel Yaffe due to the cyberattack. Hillel Yaffe has asked Magen David Adom and the Health Ministry to bring patients who don’t need urgent care to other hospitals.
