Latest coverage for COVID-19

Paper Traces Pandemic-Era Spike in AttacksOne way to look at the novel coronavirus pandemic: A societal experiment in how an oft-overlooked yet essential element of secure networking would stand up to an exploding user base. Unsurprisingly, the rapid uptake of virtual private networks by companies suddenly managing a remote workforce came with significant security costs.

Shanghai Man Tied to Beijing-Backed Silk Typhoon Cyberespionage AttacksItalian police arrested Chinese national Xu Zewei, 33, based on a U.S. arrest warrant charging the Shanghai resident with participating in "Silk Typhoon" cyberespionage attacks, including targeting novel coronavirus vaccine development information from the University of Texas.

Daniel Hulea Orchestrated Attacks Targeting Businesses During the COVID-19 PandemicA U.S. federal court sentenced a Romanian man to 20 years in a U.S. prison for his role in Netwalker ransomware attacks including against healthcare and education sectors during the novel coronavirus pandemic, extorting millions of dollars from victims worldwide.

LA County Clinic Delayed Access to Patient's Medical Records During PandemicFederal regulators have fined a Los Angeles county mental health clinic $100,000 for failure to provide a patient with timely access to her requested health records during the COVID-19 pandemic. The case is the U.S. government's 51st HIPAA patient right-of-access enforcement action.

Amid COVID-19 Ransomware Woes, Sanaz Yashar's Frustration Sparked Zafran's BirthFaced with relentless cyberattacks and the shortcomings of existing defenses, Sanaz Yashar embarked on a journey to create a security risk and mitigation platform, transforming frustration into startup Zafran, which emerged from stealth Thursday with more than $30 million in funding.

Researcher Reported Configuration Issue to Cloud Vendor After Lab Failed to RespondAn unsecured database appearing to belong to a Netherlands-based medical laboratory exposed 1.3 million records on the internet, including COVID test results and other personal identifiable information, said a security researcher who discovered the trove and reported his findings to the company.

Vladimir Dunaev Faces Up to 35 Years in PrisonA Russian national pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court for his role in developing TrickBot. Operators of the malware targeted hospitals and healthcare centers with ransomware attacks during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Vladimir Dunaev faces up to 35 years in prison.

HHS HIPAA Settlement With Yonkers, NY Facility Also Includes Corrective ActionFederal regulators have smacked a New York medical center with an $80,000 penalty as part of a settlement for a HIPAA privacy breach involving the information of three patients that was exposed to a reporter and distributed nationally during press coverage in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.