Cyberattack on Patient Records Hits Several Hospitals in Lower Saxony

The hospital further stated that health data was included in the records of 79 of the 433 affected individuals.

Response from the Clinics

Klinikum Oldenburg had already ended its cooperation with the affected service provider, Unimed, in 2023. A spokesperson for the clinic, Bastian Mojen, commented on the breach.

Mojen said: "Wir bedauern den Vorfall und wollen ihn so schnell wie möglich klären." He added that, according to experts consulted by the attacked service provider, a publication of the stolen data is not likely.

The University Medical Center Göttingen also confirmed that it had stopped working with Unimed on March 1, 2023.

The full extent of the data breach is still being assessed by the affected institutions. It remains unclear exactly what type of data was accessed in the majority of the records.

Ongoing Investigation

Cybersecurity experts have been called in to investigate the attack and secure the systems. The hospitals are in the process of informing affected patients about the breach.

The incident highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks on healthcare infrastructure. Patient data is a valuable target for criminals on the dark web.

Authorities have not yet commented on the identity of the hackers or the specific method used to gain access to the service provider's systems.

The affected clinics are cooperating with data protection authorities to ensure compliance with notification requirements and to mitigate potential harm to patients.