America’s Blood Centers (ABC) member New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) announced that it was the target of a ransomware incident. In a January 29th statement, the blood center explained that, “[o]n Sunday, January 26th, New York Blood Center Enterprises and its operating divisions identified suspicious activity affecting our information technology systems. We immediately engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate and confirmed that the suspicious activity is a result of a ransomware incident. We took immediate steps to help contain the threat and are working diligently with these experts to restore our systems as quickly and as safely as possible. Law enforcement has been notified. We understand the critical nature of our services, and the health of our communities remains our top priority. We remain in direct communication with our hospital partners and are implementing workarounds to help restore services and fulfill orders. We remain incredibly grateful for the generous response of our greater blood community in the face of this ransomware [incident at New York Blood Center].”
The blood center additionally noted in published “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQs) on its website that, “[a]t this time, we do not have a specific timetable for system restoration. We are working diligently with third-party experts to restore our systems as quickly and safely as possible [and we] are still accepting blood donations, but processing times may be longer than normal at donation centers and blood drives. We are in direct communication with our donor centers, sponsor organizations, and donors to share updates as appropriate.”
In the wake of the New York Blood Center Ransomware incident, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism “activated” in the wake of the ransomware event. A January 30th Task Force statement noted that, “[t]he blood community in the United States is working together to maintain the stability of the nation’s blood supply and to ensure that all patients’ blood needs are being met following a cybersecurity incident at New York Blood Center Enterprises. [Blood centers] throughout the country are providing essential support and have been transporting blood products to affected areas to ensure that blood will be available for patients when it is needed. The blood community remains committed to collaborating to ensure all patients’ blood needs are met during this time. The blood community is now asking eligible individuals to schedule an appointment to donate to help maintain a readily available blood supply across the country.”
ABC commends the response of its member blood centers and the blood community to the New York Blood Center ransomware incident, helping to ensure patient demand is met. We will continue to provide support through the Task Force and will pass along updates as they are made available.