Ransomware attack on Signature Healthcare forces Brockton Hospital to divert ambulances
A cyberattack on Massachusetts provider Signature Healthcare took Brockton Hospital's electronic systems offline, forcing ambulance diversions, cancelled chemotherapy and weeks of paper-based downtime procedures; the Anubis ransomware group claimed to have stolen 2TB of data.
- Victim
- Signature Healthcare (Brockton Hospital)
On 6 April 2026, Signature Healthcare, the health system that operates Brockton Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts, detected a cybersecurity incident and took its electronic systems offline. The disruption quickly reached patient care: chemotherapy infusions at the hospital's Greene Cancer Center were cancelled on 7 April, and on 8 April the emergency department went on divert, sending ambulances to other hospitals.
With the electronic medical record system offline, staff switched to paper. The patient portal was unavailable, new prescriptions could not be filled, requests for medical records went unanswered, and lab work and testing continued with delays. On 15 April the hospital said it expected to remain on downtime procedures for about two more weeks. Chief executive Bob Haffey said the priority was ensuring that all patients received high-quality care, particularly anyone with a medical emergency.
Anubis claim
On 9 April, the Anubis ransomware group claimed responsibility, alleging it had stolen around 2TB of data, including patient information, and encrypted files. The group used a double-extortion countdown on its leak site and gave Signature Healthcare about a week to pay; the listing was later removed from the site. Signature Healthcare did not confirm what data, if any, had been taken.
Why it matters
The attack is a typical example of how ransomware against a single community hospital causes direct clinical harm: diverted ambulances, delayed cancer treatment and pharmacy disruption for patients who often have no nearby alternative. Healthcare was the sector most targeted by publicly disclosed ransomware attacks in April 2026, and Anubis is one of the newer groups that both encrypts systems and threatens to publish stolen data.
Timeline
Signature Healthcare detects a cybersecurity incident and takes electronic systems offline.
Chemotherapy infusions are cancelled at the Greene Cancer Center.
Brockton Hospital's emergency department goes on divert and ambulances are redirected to other facilities.
The Anubis ransomware group claims the attack, alleging theft of 2TB of data and setting a payment deadline.
The hospital says downtime procedures will continue for another two weeks.
Sources
- hipaajournal.comhttps://www.hipaajournal.com/signature-healthcare-brockton-hospital-cyberattack/
- databreaches.nethttps://databreaches.net/2026/04/11/brockton-hospital-still-dealing-with-aftermath-of-ransomware-attack/