Cyber Incident Victim: Humber River Hospital
Date:
Jun 2021
Location:
Canada
Summary
Humber River Hospital experienced a ransomware attack involving a new malware variant, detected almost immediately due to continuous system monitoring and recent patching. The organization promptly shut down all IT systems, including patient health records, preventing file encryption and data exfiltration, though some files were corrupted. With assistance from an external recovery firm, the hospital initiated manual restoration of over 5,000 computers by applying a newly developed Symantec patch and recovering systems in phases. Operational disruptions led to canceled clinics, redeployed staff for patient redirection, and emergency department ambulance redirects while surgeries continued. The hospital confirmed no confidential information was compromised during the incident.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On June 14, 2021, at approximately 0200 hours, Humber River Hospital in Toronto experienced a ransomware attack involving a previously unknown malware variant. The hospital's IT systems, which had undergone routine patching as recently as June 13, 2021, enabled rapid detection of the intrusion. Staff immediately initiated a full shutdown of all IT infrastructure, including the patient health records system, preventing the ransomware from completing its encryption cycle. This prompt containment limited the primary damage to file corruption rather than widespread encryption. No evidence indicated that confidential information was exfiltrated or released externally. The hospital activated its Incident Management System (IMS) structure to coordinate the response.
Recovery operations commenced with assistance from an external forensic firm working on-site and remotely. Technicians manually restarted over 5,000 affected devices, including 800 servers, applying a newly developed Symantec patch to each system before restoration. Clinical operations were disrupted with multiple outpatient clinics canceled, while concierge staff redirected patients at hospital entrances. Emergency services remained open but operated under ambulance redirect protocols, and scheduled surgeries proceeded without interruption. Hospital officials anticipated a staggered reactivation of systems over a 48-hour period, prioritizing critical functions while assessing the extent of file corruption and validating backup integrity. The coordinated shutdown and phased recovery approach minimized operational paralysis despite significant technical remediation requirements.