OneBlood Suffers Outage from Ransomware Attack, Calls for Donations

OneBlood, a prominent not-for-profit blood center servicing the southeastern United States, is grappling with a ransomware attack that has significantly disrupted its software systems. Despite the challenge, OneBlood remains operational, thanks to swift intervention and ongoing support from cybersecurity specialists and federal, state, and local agencies.

Susan Forbes, OneBlood's Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, emphasized the organization's commitment to network security. “Our team reacted quickly to assess our systems and began an investigation to confirm the full nature and scope of the event. Our comprehensive response efforts are ongoing, and we are working diligently to restore full functionality to our systems as expeditiously as possible,” Forbes stated.

While OneBlood continues its critical operations, including the collection, testing, and distribution of blood, the ransomware incident has forced the implementation of manual processes. While essential, these procedures significantly slow operations and impact blood inventory availability. In response, OneBlood has urged the over 250 hospitals it serves to activate critical blood shortage protocols to manage the supply more effectively during this period.

OneBlood, known for its vital role in providing safe, available, and affordable blood to communities across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas, is now receiving substantial support from the national blood community. Blood centers nationwide are sending blood and platelets to OneBlood, coordinated by the AABB Disaster Task Force, which is mobilizing national resources to ensure a steady supply of additional blood products.

The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated, with all blood types needed, particularly O Positive, O Negative, and Platelet donations. Forbes reinforced the critical need for donations, stating, “The blood supply cannot be taken for granted. The situation we are dealing with is ongoing. If you are eligible to donate, we urge you to please make an appointment to donate as soon as possible.”

As OneBlood navigates this cybersecurity crisis, the collective efforts of blood centers and donors across the country underscore the importance of community solidarity in maintaining a stable blood supply. The ongoing response and recovery efforts highlight the resilience and dedication of OneBlood and its partners to ensure that life-saving blood remains available to those in need.

In a related development over a month ago, England's public healthcare provider supported calls from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) for O Positive and O Negative blood donors to urgently book appointments after a ransomware attack affected major London hospitals.