Bnei Brak hospital hit by cyberattack, bringing down computers

Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak said Tuesday it was targeted overnight in a ransomware attack that shut down its administrative computer systems.

According to the hospital, no harm was caused to patients or medical equipment, and the hospital continued providing care.

However, the Health Ministry decided that outpatient clinics and imaging centers at the hospital will not accept patients until further notice, and requested the public avoid coming to the emergency room.

The Health Ministry and the Israel National Cyber Directorate were updated immediately about the incident and sent teams to the hospital to assist in the matter, the directorate said in a statement.

It was not yet clear who was responsible for the cyberattack.

In October 2021, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera was targeted in a ransomware attack by hackers from the Iranian Black Shadow group.

That year, Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point reported that Israeli institutions are targeted with about twice as many cyberattacks as the average in other countries, including the country’s health sector, which experiences an average of 1,443 a week.

The most targeted sectors around the world, including Israel, are education and research, followed by government and security organizations, and then health institutions, Check Point said at the time.

The report found that, on average, each week one in every 60 Israeli organizations or firms is targeted with a ransomware attacks, an increase of 30 percent over the rate in 2020.