Major blood bank cancels appointments during blood shortage after cyberattack

Main Idea: The New York Blood Center canceled some blood drives and appointments after a ransomware attack made it harder to run its operations during an already serious blood shortage.

Key Points:

• The nonprofit said hackers attacked its systems on Sunday and it has not given a timeline for full recovery.
• It canceled eight blood drives for Friday and nine for Sunday, while still accepting donations with longer wait times.
• The center was already under strain, with low supplies of type O and B blood after winter travel and school breaks.
• Experts said ransomware attacks on medical and nonprofit groups are common and can severely disrupt vital services.