Carthage, Ogdensburg hospitals probe cyberattack

CARTHAGE, N.Y. — Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center in Ogdensburg say their information technology (IT) teams worked through the weekend to stabilize all systems following a cybersecurity incident.

Internal security software discovered the cyberattack last Thursday night, the organizations said in a Monday announcement. The hospitals first announced the incident on Friday after the software “reported a notice of unusual activity” early Thursday evening, per the Friday announcement.

After days of review and system assessment, investigators say “there continues to be no evidence that any patient or employee information has been compromised at this time.”

The hospitals also say they’ll reschedule all out-patient appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 5 and 6 at North Country Orthopaedic Group, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, and Carthage Area Hospital. The rescheduling is done “in an effort to further ensure the integrity of our systems and continue our recovery,” per the announcement.

For Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center patients, this includes the cardiology lab and outpatient lab draws. Dialysis, cancer treatment, and wound-care appointments are not affected and will continue as scheduled, the hospitals added.

The hospitals went on to say that IT teams continue to provide information as the FBI, the New York State Department of Health, and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) provide technical support.

Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center have shared the same CEO, Richard Duvall, since October 2019.