US-based OneBlood Hit by Ransomware Attack, Donor Data at Risk

The organization has issued an urgent appeal for donations of O-positive and O-negative blood types, as well as platelets, to address the immediate shortfall in supplies.

OneBlood, a non-profit blood donation center serving hospitals across the southeastern United States, has recently experienced a ransomware attack on that has severely disrupted its operations. 

The organization has issued an urgent appeal for donations of O-positive and O-negative blood types, as well as platelets, to address the immediate shortfall in supplies.

Further, the ransomware attack has significantly impacted OneBlood’s ability to function normally. 

Although, the center is yet to confirm whether any personal information of donors, including test results, blood types, or medical history, has been compromised in the breach. 

The lack of clarity on data exposure has raised concerns among donors and healthcare partners.

In response to the attack, OneBlood has alerted its network of over 250 partner hospitals to activate their critical blood shortage protocols. The blood centers, along with the AABB Disaster Task Force, are coordinating efforts to send additional blood supplies to OneBlood to help mitigate the disruption's impact.

Susan Forbes, senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations at OneBlood, said, “OneBlood takes the security of our network extremely seriously. Our team reacted quickly to assess our systems and began an investigation to confirm the full nature and scope of the event. Our comprehensive response efforts are ongoing, and we are working diligently to restore full functionality to our systems as expeditiously as possible.”

The organization is currently operating at a reduced capacity as it works to resolve the issues caused by the attack. Cybersecurity experts and government officials have been engaged to assist in the response and recovery efforts. 

OneBlood has not disclosed details about the specific nature of the ransomware or the extent of the damage to its systems.

Ongoing Response & Recovery

The situation has led to heightened vigilance within the healthcare community, with hospitals and blood donation centers stepping up to ensure that blood supplies remain available for needy patients. The AABB Disaster Task Force is working closely with OneBlood to coordinate the distribution of blood products and address any potential shortages.

The attack has highlighted the vulnerability of critical healthcare infrastructure to cyber threats. 

OneBlood’s response to the ransomware attack involves urgent appeals for blood donations, increased coordination with partner hospitals, and ongoing efforts to assess and address the breach's impact. The situation underscores the importance of cybersecurity in protecting essential healthcare services and donor data.

Likewise, HealthEquity, a leading administrator of health savings accounts (HSAs), announced a major data breach impacting around 4.3 million Americans. The breach, which occurred on March 9, 2024, was identified on June 26, 2024, raising significant concerns about data security and privacy.

The breach, traced to an external hacking incident, involved the compromise of personal information, including names, addresses, and social security numbers. This exposure raises the risk of identity theft. 

The delay in detecting the breach, nearly three months, underscores the challenges organisations face in identifying complex cyber-attacks.