Cyberattack Targets Maryland Department Of Health

MARYLAND — The Maryland Department of Health was offline for more than a day following a reported cyberattack over the weekend.

"As of 8:00 pm, our website, http://health.maryland.gov, is again operational," the state health department reported Monday night. "Thank you for your patience while we worked to restore it."

The site was still redirecting users until after midnight. Those seeking services on the Maryland Department of Health's website were taken instead to the Maryland.gov homepage.

The cyberattack occurred Sunday and no data appeared to have been compromised, the Baltimore Sun reported Monday afternoon, citing a spokesperson for the health department.

The FBI is investigating the case, about which lawmakers will get more information Tuesday, the Sun reported.

Because of the downtime, there was a lag in reporting coronavirus data. The most recent data was from Friday, Dec. 3. Some information, like where to find a COVID-19 vaccine, is still available.

"MDH is experiencing a server outage. Data will be updated as soon as possible," said a message on the Maryland Department of Health's coronavirus page dated Monday, Dec. 6.

Maryland Department of Health employees were told not to use their work-issued devices and email accounts, according to WBAL.

"As part of the ongoing investigation into the network security incident that occurred, the Maryland Department of Health's servers will remain offline out of an abundance of caution," the agency said in a statement Monday afternoon. "Data updates will resume as soon as possible."

The pause in data updates comes days after Maryland reported its first three cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 Friday and as coronavirus transmission has increased. The positivity rate as of Friday was 5.43 percent, a climb from 2.91 percent on Nov. 4, about a month ago.

The health department is not the only government agency to be targeted in recent memory in the state. Cyberattacks locally have occurred in Baltimore County Public Schools, before Thanksgiving 2020, and in Baltimore City in May 2019.

See Also:

• Omicron Variant Confirmed In 3 Maryland Residents: Governor
• No Data Stolen In Cyberattack: Baltimore County Public Schools
• Water Bills To Flow Again, 3 Months After Baltimore Cyberattack