The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada, has confirmed a recent cybersecurity incident that resulted in the theft of personal information belonging to current and former employees. This marks the second significant cyberattack against the institution, following a ransomware incident in 2022.
SickKids issued a statement on Thursday, indicating that the data theft is believed to be linked to a third-party software application. The incident also briefly disrupted the hospital's careers website. The investigation suggests that the stolen data likely pertains to current and former employees, job applicants, and staff of affiliated organizations, including the SickKids Foundation. The specific types of employee data compromised have not been detailed. Crucially, the hospital confirmed that no clinical systems or patient information were affected by this breach.
Individuals potentially impacted by the incident have been notified and offered two years of credit monitoring services.
This latest attack follows a 2022 ransomware incident that severely impacted the hospital's systems during the Christmas holiday period. That previous attack, which affected pharmacy systems, diagnostic imaging results, and internal staff timekeeping, took several weeks for the hospital to recover from. The group responsible for the 2022 attack later issued an apology, provided a free decryptor, and claimed to have terminated the affiliate who targeted SickKids.
The SickKids incident occurs amidst a series of recent cybersecurity breaches disclosed by other healthcare organizations. Baylor Genetics reported a June data leak involving medical testing information, laboratory test results, health insurance details, and Social Security numbers. Additionally, electronic health records provider CareCloud announced a March cybersecurity incident that affected 3.7 million individuals.
