US Blood Donation Giant Crippled by Ransomware Attack, Sparking Fears of Blood Shortage

US Blood Donation Giant Crippled by Ransomware Attack, Sparking Fears of Blood Shortage

The New York Blood Center (NYBC), a critical provider of blood and transfusion services to hundreds of hospitals across the northeastern United States, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack, causing significant disruptions to its operations and raising serious concerns about the region's already strained blood supply. This cyberattack comes at a particularly vulnerable time, as the NYBC had just declared a blood emergency last week due to a sharp decline in donations. The timing couldn't be worse, with the attack further jeopardizing the availability of life-saving blood products. The NYBC, responsible for supplying blood to over 200 hospitals in the northeast and providing transfusion-related medical services to over 500 hospitals nationwide, confirmed the cyberattack in a statement released on Wednesday. The organization detected suspicious activity on its IT systems on January 26th, which was subsequently identified as a ransomware attack. In response, the NYBC took i…