Klinikum Esslingen

Klinikum Esslingen, also known as Esslingen Hospital, is a healthcare facility located in Esslingen, Germany. As a hospital, it provides inpatient and outpatient medical services to the local population. The facility includes diagnostic imaging departments that offer radiology, ultrasound, and endoscopy examinations. It operates a hospital information system that stores both patient clinical data and internal administrative information. The hospital’s core function is to deliver medical care while supporting clinical workflows through its IT infrastructure.

On 28 November 2023, the hospital’s IT infrastructure was subjected to a cyberattack involving unauthorized remote access by an unknown actor. The attack caused deliberate damage to the hospital’s servers. The primary impact was on the radiology imaging systems, which were disrupted as a result of the incident. Ultrasound and endoscopy imaging capabilities were also affected by the same cyber event. While internal administrative data stored in the hospital information system was deleted, patient data within that system remained unaffected and patient safety was not compromised.

The imaging system outages led to significant delays in hospital operations, although care continued despite the disruption. Immediate response actions included blocking access to the compromised systems to prevent further damage. The hospital engaged external cybersecurity experts to assist with investigation and mitigation. A crisis team was activated internally to coordinate the response and communicate with stakeholders. Law enforcement authorities were notified of the incident as part of the standard reporting procedure. Restoration efforts began promptly after the initial containment measures were put in place. The hospital anticipated that full operational recovery would be achieved within twenty‑four hours of the start of restoration work.