Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Program Focuses on AI Governance, Safety, Privacy, Bias and TransparencyAccreditation organization Joint Commission is rolling out a voluntary program for certifying the "responsible" deployment and use of artificial intelligence technologies by U.S. healthcare provider organizations, including governance, safeguards, monitoring processes and education.

Healthcare Sector AI Expansion Raises Questions on Governance, Privacy and SafetyMayo Clinic and Microsoft are planning a new healthcare-specific frontier artificial intelligence model that aims to help clinicians make earlier diagnoses and deliver more personalized treatments to their patients. The clinic plans to make the new model available to patients and doctors.

Healthcare Coordinating Council Highlights AI Risks, Potential Medical MishapsHealthcare organizations face an array of difficult cybersecurity, privacy, patient safety, supply chain and operational resiliency issues as they roll out artificial intelligence tools. A new Health Sector Coordinating Council playbook aims to help by providing a voluntary governance framework.

Artificial intelligence that is embedded in newer editions of software and other technology tools but is not explicitly revealed by vendors is a substantial risk on par with shadow AI, said regulatory attorney Elizabeth Hodge with the law firm Akerman LLP.

Patients Allege Health Entities Did Not Get Consent to Record ConversationsProposed federal class action litigation alleges that two California healthcare organizations violated patient privacy in their use of an AI-enabled ambient tool that records, transcribes, and processes sensitive conversations between clinicians and patients without individuals' consent.

Contec and Epsimed Monitors Containing 'Backdoors' Are at the Center of OrderTexas Gov. Abbott has ordered agencies to review foreign-made connected medical devices - especially those from Chinese manufacturers - used in state-owned facilities for cybersecurity issues that could pose security and privacy risks to patients and healthcare infrastructure.

CHIME, AHA, Others Contend Privacy, Security Burden Would Shift to ProvidersProposals to eliminate certain longstanding health IT certification criteria - including privacy and security related controls - will shift regulatory burden from health IT developers to healthcare providers, some industry groups contend in their public response to proposed federal rulemaking.

Use cases of AI in healthcare will continue to expand in 2026 - including for back-office automation, ambient exam room documentation, claims processing and clinical decision support - but so will critical privacy, security, legal and other risks, said attorney Wendell Bartnick of law firm Reed Smith.

Feds Pushing HIPAA Regulated Entities to Bolster Security Risk ManagementFederal regulators are advising regulated healthcare firms and their third-party vendors to harden systems, software and medical devices to better safeguard protected health information. Hardening is a necessary measure for protecting data privacy security - but also in protecting patient safety.

Use cases of AI in healthcare will continue to expand in 2026 - including for back-office automation, ambient exam room documentation, claims processing and clinical decision support - but so will critical privacy, security, legal and other risks, said attorney Wendell Bartnick of law firm Reed Smith.

Healthcare sector mergers and acquisitions dramatically amplify cybersecurity and data privacy exposure for potential buyers and sellers, said attorney Jonian Rafti of law firm Proskauer. But there are critical steps entities can take to reduce those risks, he said.

Smart eyewear such as Meta-AI Ray Ban glasses - which sport microphones, cameras and can connect to artificial intelligence - pose emerging patient privacy and other risks especially when worn in healthcare settings, said Garrett Zickgraf of consulting firm LBMC.

Class Action Litigation Accused Mt. Sinai of Sending Patient Info to FacebookA New York City healthcare system has agreed to pay nearly $5.3 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the hospital's use of online tracking tools in its patient portal and website sent patient information to Facebook without their knowledge or consent for years.

Voluntary Effort Calls for Standards, Empowering Patients, But What About Privacy?The Trump administration launched an initiative to improve patient data interoperability, exchange and accessibility throughout the healthcare ecosystem. The effort asks tech firms, healthcare providers and insurers to voluntarily comply with standards and data sharing criteria. Sounds like déjà vu?

As healthcare providers and their vendors develop and implement agentic artificial intelligence and other AI tools, they need to throughly understand data privacy risks under HIPAA and other laws, said attorney Jordan Cohen of law firm Akerman LLP.

Ruling: HHS Has No Authority to Distinguish Different Types of PHI for RestrictionsA Texas federal court has vacated 2024 changes to the HIPAA Privacy Rule made by the Biden administration to shield reproductive healthcare information from law enforcement. The court's ruling could potentially make it easier for state investigators to obtain information about abortions and gender treatments.

Emerging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies being applied in the health and wellness space that are not necessarily covered by HIPAA but instead fall under a variety of tough new state privacy laws that are being enacted, said attorney Lily Li of Metaverse Law.

Emerging artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies being applied in the health and wellness space that are not necessarily covered by HIPAA but instead fall under a variety of tough new state privacy laws that are being enacted, said attorney Lily Li of Metaverse Law.

Stretched Agency Must Balance HIPAA Enforcement With Policing DEI in HealthcareHHS investigators charged with protecting the civil rights and privacy of patients are now assigned to finding and stamping out diversity, equity and inclusion programs at universities and hospitals, with DEI now deemed discriminatory under the Trump administration.

Quantum computing could bring the next technology "revolution" in healthcare, but organizations will face critical cybersecurity issues when quantum becomes a reality, said attorney Lee Kim, senior principal of cybersecurity and privacy at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.