IT emergency in Lörrach: clinics paralyzed due to server failure!

IT emergency in Lörrach: clinics paralyzed due to server failure!

On the night of Saturday, October 4, 2025, an overheating of the IT server system caused significant problems in the Lörrach district clinics. According to tagesschau.de, the call for emergency aid was unavoidable because both the Lörrach district hospital and the St. Elisabethen hospital Lörrach and the Schopfheim district hospital could no longer work properly due to the failure of the air conditioning in the data center. Emergency care was therefore temporarily redirected to surrounding hospitals.

Impressively, despite these disruptions, the Lörrach clinics were able to continue to admit and care for emergency births. However, devices connected to computers, such as MRI and X-ray machines, could not be used. Fortunately, there were no signs of an external cyberattack. The disruption in the digital infrastructure was finally fully resolved on Saturday evening, meaning the emergency room and other areas were operational again.

A look at the weak points

These incidents shine a bright light on the vulnerabilities in hospitals’ IT. Like other clinics in Germany that experienced massive IT disruptions between July 7th and 9th, 2025, the Lörrach district clinics show the urgency for robust IT management. In Reutlingen and at the AMEOS clinic network, not only were operations not performed, but contact with patients was also limited, which points to systematic weaknesses, as [LinkedIn](https://de.linkedin.com/pulse/it-ausf%C3%A4lle-kliniken-uns-der-8-juli-2025- aktuell-zweien-telemann-mcbie) highlights.

Complex systems such as those found in hospitals not only require regular maintenance work, but also the consideration of redundancies. Inadequate technologies have already led to serious problems in the past, such as the technical malfunction in the server room at the Reutlingen district clinic. Here, the IT failure was caused by maintenance work on the air conditioning system, which ultimately led to a short circuit.

Necessary measures for improvement

Experts strongly recommend careful risk assessment and effective vulnerability management to ensure patient safety. The principles of information security are essential for the operation of clinics, as are the demands for corresponding legal regulations such as the BSIG or the KRITIS Ordinance. Recent incidents in particular make it clear that the need for practical IT structures, invested resources and a deep culture of security is extremely important.

It remains to be seen what measures the Lörrach district clinics and other affected facilities will take to prevent future failures. The population's trust in medical care is at stake, and it is crucial that those responsible have a good hand in strengthening digital infrastructures.

Read more about the effects of network errors on data centers and their importance for clinical operations in Computerwoche.