February 19, 2026 — A ransomware attack forced the University of Mississippi Medical Center to close all of its roughly three dozen clinics around the state and cancel elective procedures for a second day on Friday, disabling one of the state’s largest health care providers. While hospital officials and the FBI have confirmed that they are in communication with the attackers, they have not yet disclosed the name of the group or the specific malware variant involved.

University officials warned that the shutdown could continue for days as they try to evaluate the extent of the attack, including whether patients’ sensitive information was compromised, and restore network systems they took down as a precaution.This event marks the fourth major cyberattack on a Mississippi hospital system in the last three years, following a 2023 ransomware attack on Singing River Health System.

What just happened?

• Service Disruptions: All clinics are closed as of February 21, 2026. Chemotherapy treatments and elective procedures have been canceled.
• System Failures: The attack affected “many systems,” including the primary electronic health record platform.
• Operational Workarounds: Staff are currently utilizing paper documentation for ongoing patient care while digital systems remain offline.
• Law Enforcement Involvement: UMMC is working with the FBI and cybersecurity specialists to restore care and investigate the extent of the breach.

Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open, and patients there were receiving proper care, the university said in the statement. Officials were still trying to figure out the extent of the infiltration, but Vice Chancellor LouAnn Woodward said at a news conference Thursday the attack affected “many systems,” including the electronic health record platform. Health care providers were taking down information manually.

“Some of us in the room have been here long enough that we remember taking care of patients with pen and paper,” she said.

Investigators are trying to determine whether patients’ private information was accessed, Woodward said.

She said the attackers had communicated with the university, but she did not disclose their demands. The university is working with the FBI.

The FBI’s top priority is getting systems back up to restore patient care, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff said at Thursday’s news conference. The agency’s Jackson office said that it couldn’t comment further.

Ransomware attacks against public schools and agencies have proliferated in recent years. They have shutdown 911 dispatch functions and exposed sensitive student data, among other harms.