Tri-State Region Blood Center Hit With Ransomware Attack

One of the country’s largest blood donor and research centers has suffered a ransomware attack.

The New York Blood Center (NYBC) said that on Sunday, January 26, it identified “suspicious activity” affecting its IT systems. Third-party cybersecurity experts investigated and have confirmed that the suspicious activity is a result of a ransomware incident. The center notified law enforcement.

NYBC said it is working to restore its systems but has no estimate at this time when its operations may be fully restored.

The nonprofit center is still accepting blood donations, but says processing times may be longer than normal at donation centers and blood drives.

Some donation center activities and blood drives may need to be rescheduled. About 15 blood drives scheduled for Friday, January 31 and Sunday, February 2 have been cancelled.

On January 21, the center declared a blood emergency due to a significant drop in blood donations following a holiday season with low donor turnout. NYBC said there has been a nearly 30% drop in donations, resulting in 6,500 fewer donations.

NYBC has served the tri-state area for more than 60 years, delivering blood products to more than 150 hospitals and other healthcare providers.

NYBC is part of New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe), which serves 17 states. In addition to blood products, NYBCe provides cellular therapies, specialty pharmacy, and medical services to research, academic and biopharmaceutical organizations.

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Cyber