Tonga’s high well being official warned the island nation’s residents {that a} ransomware assault has taken down its Nationwide Well being Data System.
The Ministry of Well being published statements on Wednesday explaining that it’s coping with a cyberattack on its IT programs affecting the group’s web site and different instruments.
Minister of Well being Ana ‘Akau’ola then told parliament on Thursday that an unnamed ransomware gang attacked the Nationwide Well being Data System, demanding thousands and thousands in ransom to revive the system.
‘Akau’ola stated she discovered of the incident earlier within the week and defined that cybersecurity consultants from Australia arrived on Thursday to assist the federal government resolve the problem.
‘Akau’ola held one other press convention on Friday the place she stated the assault was found on June 15.
“This technique is used to file and register sufferers on the hospital. It accommodates the historical past of all our sufferers, together with their medical data, prescriptions, well being dangers and future plans for sufferers,” she told reporters, based on native information outlet Matangi Tonga.
“This occurred on Sunday, I used to be knowledgeable from the hospital that the system was not functioning. All the pieces we do on the hospital, together with ordering tablets are all completed on this system.”
‘Akau’ola added that officers initially reached out to their IT contractor based mostly in Fiji who confirmed that it was a ransomware assault. The Nationwide Well being Data System was launched in 2019 as a part of an effort to digitize authorities data.
In its public assertion, the Ministry of Well being advised folks to deliver playing cards that record out their prescriptions as a result of medical doctors don’t have entry to medical data. Tonga has 4 hospitals: Vaiola Hospital, Prince Wellington Ngu Hospital, Niu’ui Hospital and Niu’eki Hospital.
As of Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Well being web site remains to be down. The Polynesian nation is made up of some 171 islands and has a inhabitants of about 100,000.
No hacking group has taken credit score for the assault. In 2023, Tonga’s state-owned telecommunications firm was taken down by the Medusa ransomware gang — a bunch liable for more than 300 attacks in essential infrastructure sectors.
Three months in the past, the Ministry of Well being for one more Pacific island nation, Palau, was also taken down by a ransomware attack.
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