South Africa National Healthcare Lab Still Reeling from Ransomware Attack
The cyberattack disrupted national laboratory services, which could slow response to disease outbreaks such as mpox, experts warn.
Critical infrastructure depends on interconnected operational systems, where cyber incidents can disrupt essential services, safety, and availability.
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Background for this topic.
Critical infrastructure includes systems and assets vital for public health, safety, and economic stability, such as power grids, water treatment, transportation networks, and healthcare facilities. These systems often combine physical components with industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) that manage essential services in real time.
From an information-security perspective, critical infrastructure faces risks like unauthorized access to control systems, disruption of service availability, and manipulation of sensor data. Defending these assets requires specialized security measures tailored to ICS environments, including network segmentation, strict access controls, and continuous monitoring for anomalies. Ensuring resilience also involves coordinated efforts between operators and government agencies to address vulnerabilities unique to legacy systems and proprietary protocols.
The cyberattack disrupted national laboratory services, which could slow response to disease outbreaks such as mpox, experts warn.
Creo Elements/Direct License Servers, which enable industrial design and modeling software, are exposed to the Internet, leaving critical infrastructure vulnerable to remote code execution.
Industry Associations Want Feds to Put Regulatory Onus on Change HealthcareTwo weeks ago, Change Healthcare began notifying thousands of medical practices about a massive data breach affecting millions of patients. The healthcare software firm says it will handle breach notifications, but industry groups want to ensure the government will go along with that plan.