Kettering Health Faces Cyberattack, Cancels Elective Procedures

Kettering, Ohio — Kettering Health is experiencing a significant technology outage that has been confirmed as a cyberattack. The hospital system announced this early Tuesday, leading to the cancellation of elective procedures.

“Earlier this morning, Kettering Health experienced a system-wide technology outage that is causing challenges to many of our patient care systems across the organization,” said a spokesperson for Kettering Health. “We have procedures and plans in place for these types of situations and will continue to provide safe, high-quality care for patients currently in our facilities.”

Sources inform the Dayton Daily News that the outage is linked to a ransomware attack. Anonymous sources indicated that hackers are threatening to destroy data and expose sensitive information on the dark web unless negotiations start within 72 hours.

The dark web is a hidden part of the internet not indexed by standard search engines, requiring special browsers to access.

As a result of the attack, elective inpatient and outpatient procedures at Kettering Health facilities have been postponed. The hospital promises to reschedule these procedures and provide updates as more information becomes available.

“At this time, only elective procedures are being rescheduled. Our emergency rooms and clinics are open and continuing to see patients,” said Kettering Health. Patients can expect calls from their care teams, but the Kettering Health call center is also facing outages and may be temporarily unreachable.

The Greater Miami Valley EMS Council reported that emergency departments are diverting ambulances to other facilities amid this situation. A Facebook post from the council stated, “Per Kettering Health: Kettering Health is experiencing system-wide network issues at this time. Our incident command is operational and is assessing our capabilities. All EDs are on diversion, and we update with any changes at the top of each hour.”

Kettering Health reassured the public, saying, “We understand that this is frustrating for our patients and concerning for those who have family members in our care. We have procedures in place to ensure safe, high-quality care for all patients during this disruption.”