Cybersecurity Incident Disrupts New Mexico Hospital Network

A major hospital network in New Mexico, the University of New Mexico Health System, faced a cybersecurity issue on Monday that forced ambulances to be diverted to other hospitals and led to the cancellation of appointments at more than 30 clinics. The network urged people not to attend its main Albuquerque hospital while it worked to resolve the incident, describing the extent and nature of the problem as not immediately clear.

The Health System operates the state’s only Level 1 trauma centre and handles about 900,000 outpatient visits and 100,000 emergency department visits annually.

A number of UNM Health System employees reported messages appearing on computer screens alleging that student, staff and patient data had been stolen. The incident is being treated as an active law enforcement investigation, with the FBI confirming it is assisting the partner agency but declining further comment.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Lovelace Health System stated they were coordinating with UNM Health System, providing capacity to take on additional patients as operations began resuming in phases later in the day. The disruption came amid broader concerns about the security of critical digital infrastructure, with experts noting that hospital systems have faced ransomware and other cyber incidents for over a decade.

The UNM Health System’s main entrance showed staff directing patients and noting potential rescheduling of appointments, while the Rio Rancho medical centre also instructed patients to reschedule. The Health Sciences Center, the state’s largest academic medical centre, cancelled classes on the day of the incident.