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University Hospitals Cleveland reports cyber incident, systems still offline

University Hospitals says an October 22 cyber incident took MyChart and other systems offline; patients should follow official UH updates.

Published
Exploitation
Not confirmed, the source says the nature of the attack has not been publicly disclosed

What happened

According to HIPAA Journal, Cleveland, Ohio-based University Hospitals, a 21-hospital health system, says it identified a cybersecurity incident on October 22, 2026. HIPAA Journal reports that University Hospitals activated its incident response protocols and took digital services offline as a containment measure, including its MyChart patient portal, while the incident is investigated.

HIPAA Journal reports that in a November 2, 2026 update, University Hospitals confirmed that systems remained offline and that it cannot yet give a timeline for restoring normal business operations (HIPAA Journal).

According to the same report, University Hospitals says its hospitals, emergency departments and physician offices remain open. HIPAA Journal says the incident has disrupted pre-authorizations and that some appointments and elective procedures have been rescheduled.

What is not confirmed:

  • The nature of the attack, including whether ransomware was involved. HIPAA Journal says this has not been publicly disclosed.
  • Who is responsible. HIPAA Journal reports that no ransomware group appears to have claimed responsibility.
  • Whether patient data was affected. HIPAA Journal says University Hospitals has not yet determined the extent to which patient data was involved.
  • The entry point, the systems involved beyond digital services such as MyChart, and the restoration date.

The same HIPAA Journal article also covers separate incidents at EyeMed Vision Care and Facial Surgery Group. Those incidents are not connected to University Hospitals in the source and are not part of this advisory.

Am I affected?

  • Patients of University Hospitals: HIPAA Journal reports that MyChart and other digital services are offline. Some appointments and elective procedures have been rescheduled, and pre-authorizations have been disrupted (HIPAA Journal).
  • Patient data: Not confirmed. University Hospitals has not determined whether, or to what extent, patient data was involved, according to HIPAA Journal.
  • Other organizations: The source does not name any other affected organizations, vendors or products.

What to do now

  1. If you have care scheduled at University Hospitals, check the health system’s official channels for appointment and procedure status. The source reports that some appointments have been rescheduled.
  2. If you depend on pre-authorizations involving University Hospitals, expect delays. HIPAA Journal reports that this process has been disrupted.
  3. Do not assume that patient data was or was not exposed. The source says this has not yet been determined. Watch for an official notice from University Hospitals.
  4. Treat any unsolicited message that claims to be about this incident with care, and verify it through University Hospitals’ official contact channels. This is general practice, not guidance from the source.

Sources