Cyberattack Cripples University Hospital Centre Zagreb in Croatia

Threat actors targeted Croatia’s largest hospital, the University Hospital Centre Zagreb (KBC Zagreb), Wednesday night, prompting it to shut down its entire IT infrastructure.

According to KBC Zagreb’s assistant director of health care quality and supervision Milivoj Novak, the incident seriously damaged the hospital’s digital systems.

KBC Zagreb Set Back 50 Years, According to Hospital Representative

“The fact is that the computer system was temporarily disabled, which set us back 50 years,” Novak said. “They shut down all the servers, so that the virus would not spread. They informed all the external companies that do protection and started an investigation to see what happened.”

Fortunately, all affected services, including medical laboratories and the hospital’s emergency service, were restored.

However, the incident caused some significant setbacks and delays, as the hospital staff was forced to revert to writing medical reports by hand instead of printing them. Consequently, some patients have been redirected to other hospitals.

An initial investigation confirmed that patients’ medical records were not compromised during the incident.

Pro-Russia Cybercrime Group Claims Responsibility

Pro-Russia group NoName claimed responsibility for the attack but emphasized that its members don’t actively target medical facilities, stating that their conflict is with “Russophobic” authorities, not civilians.

Additionally, the cybercrime group criticized Croatian officials for failing to protect medical digital infrastructure while “finding money to sponsor the banderaites,” implying that Croatian citizens should hold their government accountable for its priorities.

More Details of the Cyberattack Not Yet Released

Although KBC Zagreb has yet to reveal the nature of the attack that hit its systems, some experts believe it was a ransomware incident. However, according to Milivoj Novak, so far, there is no information that anyone has asked for money.

So far, hospital patients can breathe easy, knowing their medical records haven’t been compromised. However, the battle is not over, as more details about the incident may emerge during a more thorough investigation.