Officials with Peterborough County, Northumberland County and Haliburton County say a cybersecurity attack targeted patient software used by their paramedics.
According to the counties, they received notification from software developer ESO about a cybersecurity incident on their software which captures patient data which is then relayed to physicians and nurses at hospitals prior to a patient arriving to a hospital via ambulance.
The counties say the system has been voluntarily shut down as a precaution as ESO conducts a forensic investigation. ESO is a company that claims it is the largest software and data solutions provider for EMS agencies, fire departments, hospitals, and more.
Andy Prince, a communications official with ESO, said that early evidence suggested no data had been breached and neither malware nor ransomware had been installed.
“We’re not ruling anything out,” he told Global News. “Was it a Russian spy? Was it, you know, from China? We’re not ruling anything out at the moment in the process of discovery to figure out what actually happened.”
Peterborough County-City Paramedics chief Randy Mellow says while the system is important for many paramedics, it will not impact ability to respond to 911 emergency calls.
“Medical emergency calls to 911 and our front-line service are not directly impacted,” he said.
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In Haliburton County, 911 is also not impacted, stated Tim Waite chief director of the Haliburton County Paramedic Service.
“There is also no evidence thus far that any confidential information has been compromised or that there is a risk to local IT systems,” the county stated.
Until further notice, patients under the care of the Haliburton County Community Paramedicine Program are asked to confirm or book their appointments by phone at 1-833-809-0440 or by email at communityparamedic@haliburtoncounty.ca
Northumberland Paramedics chief Susan Brown ESO is working with paramedic services to provide interim solutions.”Our priority as we manage this disruption is, as always, to ensure high quality and seamless emergency patient care, and to protect the health information of our patients,” stated Brown.
“While this is an administrative challenge, the community can be assured that we continue to respond to 911 calls and transfer patients to hospital.”
with files from Isaac Callan & Colin D’Mello/ Global News
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