Liberty Hospital Recovering From Cyber Incident

Although Liberty Hospital indicates that it is not yet fully functional, a web announcement says it has significantly recovered and is moving forward.

Three weeks ago, Liberty Hospital computer systems were involved in a cybersecurity “incident”. According to an announcement on its website, Liberty Hospital, “proactively shut down our computer systems after detecting suspicious activity.”

Since then, the hospital has been working to recover from the incident. Most of the hospital is functional, although some areas have reduced number of patients.

The hospital says patient electronic health records are once again in use, and digital functionality for most equipment and applications has been restored. Also, the Emergency Department at Liberty Hospital is no longer on diversion.

Although the hospital has not acknowledged or denied a cyberattack, KMBC in Kansas City obtained documents that showed Liberty Hospital received a message stating, “We have hacked you and downloaded all confidential data of your company. And it can be spread out to people and media. Your reputation will be ruined. Do not hesitate and save your business. We’re the ones who can quickly recover your systems. Starting from now, you have 72 hours to contact us.”

KMBC also reported that an organization called “INC Ransom” took credit for the hospital’s computer system crash and gave the hospital 72 hours to respond.

A statement from Liberty Hospital reads, “We are actively and diligently investigating the source and extent of the incident, which will take time. We remain committed to transparency and will share information as we are safely able to do so.”

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story