Associated Press Published

Princeton Hospital Hit by Ransomware Attack

Princeton Community Hospital

The FBI is investigating the hacking of the computer system at a West Virginia hospital.

Employees at Princeton Community Hospital were hit by a ransomware attack Tuesday morning and were unable to access files. It is unclear if patient records were compromised.

Hospital spokesman Rick Hypes says the hospital has established protocols for situations in which the computer system cannot be accessed, which ensured a continuation of patient care.

PCH vice president Rose Morgan says nothing is yet known about the origin of or reason for the disruption, but the hack was from an outside source. She said no one has contacted the hospital related to the hacking, which prompted users to recover files by purchasing a decryption key for $300 in virtual currency.