Shamir Medical Center, also known as Assaf Harofeh Hospital, was targeted in a suspected Iranian cyberattack during Yom Kippur, authorities said. Several of the hospital’s key systems, including its electronic medical records platform, were briefly disrupted before being restored.
The Health Ministry said the hospital’s day-to-day operations continued without interruption and that affected systems quickly returned to normal.
According to initial findings, hackers appear to have exploited a breach through the private laptop of a support worker at a cybersecurity company. Among the systems affected was Chameleon, an electronic medical records program used to consolidate patient files. Chameleon is widely implemented in hospitals across Israel and also in some of the health maintenance organizations, or health funds. The platform is used to issue medical visit summaries, prescriptions and other patient documentation.
The Health Ministry and the National Cyber Directorate confirmed in a joint statement that “a serious cyberattack attempt was identified and blocked at Shamir Medical Center during Yom Kippur. The attack was stopped in its early stages, but authorities are examining the possibility of a data leak.”
Officials said ministry and cyber directorate teams continue to work alongside hospital staff and other agencies to guarantee the facility’s secure functioning. As a government hospital, Shamir Medical Center falls under the protection of the National Cyber Directorate.
Iran has repeatedly attempted cyberattacks against Israeli institutions in recent years, targeting health care facilities as well as other organizations. About six months ago, Bikurofeh, a network of private clinics that provides services to public bodies, health funds and the Israel Defense Forces, was struck by a suspected Iranian cyberattack. The network serves Israeli soldiers, who use its clinics to receive medical treatment and obtain sick leave approvals, known in the military as gimelim.