Excerpt from DuvarEnglish Article, Published on Apr 18, 2024
A devastating cyber attack on Istanbul’s Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital has resulted in the unauthorized access and leakage of confidential medical records spanning back to 2007, as reported by online news outlet Diken. The attack, which targeted the hospital’s information management system on April 12, inflicted significant damage to the visual archive and communication infrastructure. Among the compromised data are X-ray scans, test results, and other sensitive medical information.
Reports suggest that the hackers responsible for the breach demanded a ransom of $200,000 in exchange for the stolen medical records, further exacerbating the crisis. An anonymous employee attributed the data breach to the hospital management’s negligence, accusing them of attempting to conceal the severity of the situation rather than taking responsibility for the security lapse.
The aftermath of the attack revealed a complete loss of data in the visual archive system, exacerbated by the absence of backups. Additionally, the Bilbest system, housing patient records, suffered a loss of 12 days’ worth of critical information. Efforts to address the breach are underway, with numerous information technology professionals mobilized to mitigate the damage and restore the compromised systems.
Despite the magnitude of the incident, the Health Ministry has yet to issue an official statement regarding the data leak, leaving patients and the public in a state of uncertainty. Bağcılar Training and Research Hospital, a central institution in Istanbul, provides vital healthcare services to thousands of patients daily and serves over two million individuals annually.
This breach evokes memories of Turkey’s previous nationwide data leak scandal in 2023, where hackers accessed and exposed sensitive personal information of citizens through the E-government system. The breach included names, addresses, phone numbers, bank account details, and property ownership records, sparking widespread concern over data security in the country.
To delve deeper into this topic, please read the full article on DuvarEnglish.
