AHA, Health-ISAC warn hospitals of potential multi-city terror threat

The American Hospital Association and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center issued a joint threat bulletin about a potential multi-city terror threat targeted at hospitals. At the time of publication, the AHA and Health-ISAC could not corroborate or discount the terrorist threat. However, the AHA and Health-ISAC recommended that security teams review cybersecurity, physical security and emergency management plans to mitigate potential risk.

The basis of the threat came from a post on X detailing a coordinated attack by ISIS-K on U.S. hospitals in mid-sized cities.

Despite being unable to verify the threat's credibility, the joint alert stated that the "widely viewed post may encourage others to engage in malicious activity directed toward the health sector."

Due to this possibility, the AHA and Health-ISAC recommended taking the threat seriously and alerting internal staff.

The authoring organizations also suggested having a visible security presence at hospitals and strengthening relationships with local and federal law enforcement to streamline communication.

"The post referencing the attacks states that the primary targets are mid-tier cities with low-security facilities. With the information claiming multiple simultaneous targets, they would likely select health sector facilities with visibly weak security and conduct prior planning to coordinate the attacks," the joint alert stated.

"It is common practice for individuals contemplating targeted acts of violence to conduct pre-attack surveillance and reconnaissance. Having a visible security presence can mitigate being chosen as a target during the planning phase of an attack."

The AHA and Health-ISAC said they would remain in contact with the FBI and provide additional information on the potential threat.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Jill McKeon has covered healthcare cybersecurity and privacy news since 2021.