KY hospital declares ‘internal state of emergency’ after ransomware infection

Henderson, Ky.-based Methodist Hospital says it is operating in an “internal state of emergency” after a ransomware attack rattled around inside its networks, encrypting files on computer systems and holding the data on them hostage unless and until the hospital pays up. The ransomware tried to spread from the initial infection to the entire internal network, and succeeded in compromising several other systems, said Jamie Reid, information systems director at the hospital.