At times, the most suitable choice is to remain silent.
A cybersecurity specialist from Oklahoma City, who was charged with placing surveillance software on a hospital computer, verified important aspects of the incident on his LinkedIn profile.
Jeffrey Bowie, who according to court documents has faced charges for breaching Oklahoma’s Computer Crimes Act twice, became the focus of an inquiry when he was accused of deploying malicious software onto a computer at St. Anthony’s Hospital in August 2024.
Reports indicate that Bowie was observed utilizing both a guest computer and a staff workstation at the medical facility. Upon being questioned by hospital personnel, he claimed that he required access to these devices because he was checking up on a relative who was having an operation. An investigation revealed the presence of malicious software on one of the computers; this issue was swiftly addressed and communicated to law enforcement officials.
A spokesperson for St. Anthony’s informed The Register that the infection was promptly dealt with and no patient data was compromised.
Bowie, who refers to himself as the CEO of both a cybersecurity firm based in Edmond, Oklahoma, and an entity described in a cached Google search result as dealing with Kratom extract sales, addressed the situation on LinkedIn for clarification.
In a preserved post (available here should the original be removed), Bowie refuted the allegations but conceded to developing and operating software on a single hospital network. This program captured a screenshot every twenty minutes and transmitted it to an external server.
He stated that the code was created spontaneously using PowerShell on a “patient-designated guest computer” located in the waiting area, rather than on an employee-specific device. Bowie mentioned that when he moved the mouse slightly on the staff member’s PC, he noticed it was still logged in and provided access to sensitive patient information. He acknowledged that this led him to deploy his impromptu monitoring script onto another system as well.
Legal documents indicate that a warrant for Bowie’s arrest was authorized on April 14. However, Bowie maintains he was not ever detained. “I wasn’t arrested,” he stated on LinkedIn, refuting these claims.
Bowie asserted on LinkedIn recently that the media has slandered him, resulting in reputational harm and business losses surpassing $12,000.
He additionally claimed that FBI agents reached out to him to talk about using his artificial intelligence expertise to track child predators on the internet. In his posting, he stated that it was only at a subsequent meeting – which he says took place without him being informed of his rights – that the agents broached the subject of the hospital incident.
On LinkedIn, Bowie attributed the entire incident to experiencing “fluctuations between psychosis” at that period. He explained that the paranoia stemming from a cybersecurity issue at a facility within the SSM Health network, along with inadequate management of his mental health care during his admission there, caused him to feel that his information might have been compromised.
Bowie stated that during his visit, SSM’s ransomware attacks, combined with the improper handling of the cessation of a psychiatric medication, heightened concerns about the security of his and others’ personal health information. He added that he would have refrained from using any devices altogether if his poorly managed mental health care hadn’t triggered feelings of delusion and paranoia.
In another comment, Bowie noted his mental health “doesn’t excuse what happened,” but that he felt it was important to add context to the matter. Several netizens commenting on his LinkedIn post noted that Bowie ought to not only stop replying to comments, but take the missive down and contact a lawyer ASAP. We reached out to Bowie with questions, naturally.
“If you’re from a media outlet and interested in getting a quote or an article, please get in touch and have your CashApp or Apple Cash available,” Bowie stated at the conclusion of his LinkedIn post. However, adhering to conventional journalistic principles, we declined to provide compensation.
We haven’t received a response yet. ®
