Grays Harbor Community Hospital

On June 15, 2019, Grays Harbor Community Hospital fell victim to a ransomware cyberattack, compromising the personal and medical data of approximately 88,000 individuals. The exposed information included highly sensitive details such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and medical records. The attack disrupted hospital operations, raising concerns about patient privacy, potential identity theft, and financial fraud. Given the nature of the compromised data particularly medical and financial information the incident posed severe risks to both the affected individuals and the hospital’s operational integrity. The breach underscored vulnerabilities in healthcare cybersecurity, where ransomware attacks can cripple critical services while exposing vast amounts of protected health information (PHI). The hospital faced reputational damage, regulatory scrutiny, and the financial burden of mitigation efforts, including potential lawsuits and compliance penalties under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

Source: https://www.atg.wa.gov/data-breach-notifications | https://data.wa.gov/resource/sb4j-ca4h.json?id=10504

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/harbor-regional-health

"id": "har548091725",
"linkid": "harbor-regional-health",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2019",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '88,000',
                        'industry': 'healthcare',
                        'location': 'Washington, USA',
                        'name': 'Grays Harbor Community Hospital',
                        'type': 'hospital'}],
 'data_breach': {'number_of_records_exposed': '88,000',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': True,
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'high',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': ['personal information',
                                              'protected health information '
                                              '(PHI)']},
 'date_detected': '2019-06-15',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2019-08-14',
 'description': 'The Washington State Office of the Attorney General reported '
                'that Grays Harbor Community Hospital experienced a ransomware '
                'cyberattack, affecting approximately 88,000 individuals. The '
                'breach involved the potential exposure of personal '
                'information such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of '
                'birth, and medical information.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': ['names',
                                 'Social Security numbers',
                                 'dates of birth',
                                 'medical information'],
            'identity_theft_risk': 'high'},
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True},
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2019-08-14',
                 'source': 'Washington State Office of the Attorney General'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': ['HIPAA (likely)'],
                           'regulatory_notifications': ['Washington State '
                                                        'Office of the '
                                                        'Attorney General']},
 'title': 'Ransomware Attack on Grays Harbor Community Hospital',
 'type': 'ransomware'}