Anne Arundel ransomware attack compromised confidential health data The Baltimore Banner

pA February cyberattack compromised confidential data of patients who received care from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health officials said ppFor the first time Thursday county officials offered greater detail about the breach that temporarily closed county government buildings and disrupted several services for residents ppOfficials said in a news release that the county first became aware of the attack Feb 22 and immediately commissioned an investigation into the extent of the breach âwith the assistance of industryleading cybersecurity specialists law enforcement partners and relevant state agenciesâ ppâThe ongoing investigation determined that the incident originated externally from a threat actor and was a ransomware attackâ the county said explaining that âa limited subset of the countyâs networkâ was infiltrated between Jan 28 and Feb 22 ppThe Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors Become oneppâCertain files within the network were accessed or downloaded without authorization during that timeâ officials added ppIn ransomware attacks hackers typically penetrate a system encrypt or lock the data and demand payment to release the information according to expertsppAsked whether the county had paid hackers spokesperson Renesha Alphonso said âThe investigation is still ongoing and due to the ongoing nature we canât disclose that information at this timeâ ppOfficials said the county is working with consultants to determine what was in the files that were compromised Itâs also still unclear the county said how many peopleâs information may have been affected ppItâs possible the hackers gained access to full names addresses and medical diagnoses or conditions according to the news release ppThe Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors Become oneppWhile the county said it does not appear as though financial information was compromised officials encouraged residents to âremain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements credit reports and explanations of benefits for unusual activity and to detect errorsâppâAny suspicious activity should be promptly reported to oneâs health care provider insurance company or financial institutionâ the county added ppSaying the county takes the cyberattack and residentsâ private information âvery seriouslyâ officials said they were working with ârelevant stakeholdersâ to enhance the countyâs privacy and security safeguards ppCounty Executive Steuart Pittman a Democrat included a 43 million yearoveryear increase for the governmentâs âvery complex IT systemsâ in his proposed budgetppâAfter falling behind for many yearsâ Pittman told the County Council May 1 âour county is catching up with a newly integrated enterprisewide system with a Land Use Navigator that gives communities and developers the transparency and accountability theyâve been seeking and dozens of other projects that are making systems more responsive more efficient and more secureâ pp ppAlex MannppalexmannthebaltimorebannercomppAlex Mann covers Anne Arundel County for The Baltimore Banner Before joining The Banner he was a reporter at The Baltimore Sun most recently covering criminal justice He was a 2023 finalist for the Livingston Awards in local reporting Earlier in his career he wrote for The Capital and for The Carroll County TimesppWelcome to The Banners subscriberonly commenting community Please review our community guidelinespp 2025 The Baltimore Banner All Rights ReservedppUse of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies ppThe Baltimore Banner may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice See our Cookie Policy RSS Terms of Service Submissions Policy Ad Choices Do Not Sell My Personal Information and CA Notice at Collection at Privacy Notice ppClick here to view our Terms of Sale
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