Ransomware Attack Threatens Blood Shortage Across The Region

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some hospitals in our region are dealing with less blood supply after a ransomware attack. Orlando based One Blood is now asking for immediate blood donations after cyber criminals shut down its systems.

Susan Forbes, vice president of communications for one blood says the not-for profit organization is now dealing the impacts of a ransomware attack straining their technology.

One blood supplies more than 300 hospitals across the south east region of the country with 17 hospitals in the Charlotte viewing area including Atrium Health and Levine Children’s Hospital.

“We have moved to manual processes to remain operational because despite what we are dealing with, our life saving mission must prevail no matter the circumstances,” Forbes said.

Forbes says technology systems are shut down and employees are forced to work manually.

“From collection, to testing, to processing, to distribution, all of it has regulated steps that are involved to ensure that that unit is safe,” Forbes said. “So now we are continuing to do those regulated steps manually.”

Forbes says blood centers across the country are helping but their resources are limited.

“They’re sending additional blood our way that we can get out to hospitals once it arrives here, but they only have so much to go around themselves as well,” Forbes said.

Theresa Payton served as Chief Information Officer for George W. Bush administration and she’s the current CEO of Fortalice solutions. She says ransoms are attacks are common.

“Nobody is safe and it is fair to say that because cyber criminal syndicates have figured out they can do this,” Payton said. “It’s a smash and grab so they go in sometimes they take data. Sometimes they lock up files.”

Payton recommends multifactor authentication on all company systems and the FBI’s Free Infraguard Program.

“It is actually in your best interest to call them because they may actually have a decryption key for you,” Payton said. “They may actually have encountered this ransomware syndicate before, and they can tell you basically how [the cyber criminals] are going to treat you as a victim.”

While teams work to find the root of the hack, One Blood needs urgent donations.

“There’s an increased need for Type O Blood. If you’re O negative or O positive you are urgently needed and the same with platelet donations,” Forbes said.

One blood has their cybersecurity teams running a forensic analysis to try to understand how the attack happened and get the systems back online.