Aransomware attack hit Kronos, which handles human resources software that provides paychecks to workers at Franciscan Health and other Region employers.
Ultimate Kronos Group provides payroll services to companies such YMCA, GameStop, Whole Foods and Franciscan Health, one of the Region's largest employers.
The company currently has no estimate for when its system will be back online after the ransomware attack, saying backups were down and it could take weeks to restore.
“UKG recently became aware of a ransomware incident that has disrupted the Kronos Private Cloud, which houses solutions used by a limited number of our customers," a UKG spokesman said. "We took immediate action to investigate and mitigate the issue, have alerted our affected customers and informed the authorities, and are working with leading cybersecurity experts. We recognize the seriousness of the issue and have mobilized all available resources to support our customers and are working diligently to restore the affected services.”
Ransomware is when hackers hijack a computer system after infecting it with a virus, often downloaded from a phishing email, and only release the system after a ransom is paid.
Franciscan Health spokesman Robert Blaszkiewicz said the Mishawaka-based health care provider would ensure its 19,000 employees will be paid on time regardless of the service interruption.
"Franciscan Health was notified that Kronos, the vendor for our time tracking and scheduling software, was impacted by a cyber security incident," Blaszkiewicz said. "These cloud-based applications were taken offline by Kronos. Franciscan is one of many institutions affected by this large-scale cyber-attack on Kronos. Kronos says it is working diligently to address the situation. Meanwhile, Franciscan implemented alternate plans to address the disruption and ensure business continuity."
Kronos Workforce Central lets companies handle time sheets, payroll, absence requests, scheduling and other workforce management tasks via a cloud platform.
The company serves many health care providers across the country.
Locally, neither Northwest Indiana Health nor Community Healthcare System were impacted.
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