Hacker attack on Inca paralyzes radiotherapy service – 01/31/2024 – Health

The Federal Police are investigating a hacker attack against Inca (National Cancer Institute), last Saturday (27). The virtual attack mainly affected radiotherapy services. To date, the system at Cancer Hospital 3, in Vila Isabel, in the north of Rio de Janeiro, is offline. The unit specializes in breast cancer.

The invasion of the institute’s systems was detected on Saturday morning, in the hemotherapy sector, which collects and screens blood. Employees attempted to add new information to the system, but were denied access.

As a result, information technology and security teams were activated.

The radiotherapy sector at Cancer Hospital 1, in the center of Rio, was also paralyzed. The service only resumed on Tuesday afternoon (30). The unit is where there is the greatest demand for the treatment, which consists of the use of ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, to destroy a tumor or prevent its cancer cells from advancing throughout the body.

In total, Inca estimates that between 150 and 200 patients were affected by the attack. As the systems have not yet been fully established, all medical consultations are being carried out without access to the cloud.

“Consultations, exams, chemotherapy treatments and scheduled surgeries are taking place normally,” said the institute, in a statement. “Subsequent appointment bookings will be normalized soon, after the systems are reestablished.”

The institute reported that it received reinforcement from technology specialists from Into (National Institute of Orthopedic Trauma) and INC (National Institute of Cardiology), in addition to companies that already provide services to the affected units.

Inca also stated that the data stored in the system was not damaged and said that hackers did not have access to it. The institute also said that it “reinforces the commitment to review systems to ensure quality patient care.”

The institute is linked to the Ministry of Health and said it did not have information about what could have motivated the hacker attack or whether the suspects in the attack had already been identified.

The Federal Police said it does not comment on ongoing investigations.