Ascension health system is recovering from a ransomware attack by Black Basta, which disrupted hospital operations.

Black Basta is implicated in over 500 global organizational attacks, with a focus on healthcare, as per a joint cybersecurity advisory.

The ransomware incident at Ascension forced a revert to paper records and caused some hospitals to divert emergency services.

Black Basta employs phishing and vulnerability exploitation for access, and uses a double-extortion tactic, threatening to publish stolen data if the ransom isn't paid.

A ConnectWise software vulnerability has been exploited by Black Basta since February, highlighting the need for updated cyber defenses.