Stay updated with the latest healthcare cybersecurity trends, news, and tips to protect patient data and comply with medical industry security standards.
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Background for this topic.
Healthcare is the delivery of clinical care and related services through hospitals, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies, insurers, and connected medical devices. It depends on electronic health records (EHRs), patient identity systems, diagnostic and imaging platforms, medication and scheduling systems, and data exchanges between organizations. These environments hold sensitive health and payment information, while the availability and integrity of systems can affect treatment, diagnostics, and patient safety.
Security concerns include unauthorized access or disclosure of records, alteration of clinical data, and disruption of care through attacks on EHRs, connected devices, or third-party services. Defenses require risk-based access controls, strong authentication, network separation where appropriate, secure device and software maintenance, backups that support clinical continuity, and tested downtime and incident-response procedures. Vulnerability management must account for legacy systems and devices that cannot be patched quickly. Privacy and compliance obligations, such as HIPAA in the United States, shape how organizations collect, use, share, retain, and report health information.
Cyberattacks Soar, But Guarding PHI From Break-Ins, Natural Disasters Is CriticalDespite the endless barrage of cyberattacks hitting the healthcare sector, HIPAA-regulated entities must not neglect their duty to protect electronic patient information against physical threats, including burglaries and natural disasters, U.S. regulators said.
Also: Ransomware Threats in Healthcare; the Growth of MimecastIn the latest weekly update, ISMG editors discussed the evolving disclosure responsibilities of CISOs, yet another ransomware attack targeting the healthcare sector, and Mimecast's latest strategic acquisition as part of its broader expansion efforts.
Australian Insurer Expects Years of Litigation Related to 2022 HackAustralia's largest provider of private health insurance says it expects to spend a total of AU$126 million, or $84.78 million, over a three-year period to upgrade its IT security. A Russia-based cybercriminal group hacked Medibank in October 2022.
Group Claims a NY Surgical Center and a Nevada Medical Center Among Recent VictimsU.S. authorities are warning healthcare sector entities of incidents involving Everest, a Russian-speaking ransomware group and initial access broker, which claims to have stolen sensitive patient information in recent attacks, including on two medical care providers in New York and Nevada.
Nearly 137,000 People Affected in 2023 Ransomware Attack on Maryland-Based HospitalA ransomware attack against Berlin, Maryland-based Atlantic General Hospital that affected the personal information of 137,000 individuals in 2023 has led to a $2.25 million preliminary settlement of a consolidated proposed federal class action lawsuit.
RedSense's Bohuslavskiy and Smith on How Attacks on Healthcare Show DesperationRedSense’s Yelisey Bohuslavskiy and Marley Smith believe ransomware is declining but caution that it still poses a significant threat. While attackers recycle old methods, they're taking desperate measures to target vulnerable groups such as cancer centers and to stoke fears in the marketplace.
Healthcare has been the most targeted sector according to Barracuda analysis of 200 reported ransomware incidents from August 2023 to July 2024
Patients Still Asked to Bring Paper Records to Appointments Post-Ransomware AttackMcLaren Health Care expects IT disruptions caused by a ransomware attack earlier this month to last through the end of August. While most of McLaren's facilities are open, IT systems across its hospitals, cancer centers and clinics are still affected, including electronic medical record access.
Healthcare organization Jewish Home Lifecare has revealed that a 2024 data breach hit over 100,000 customers
The deployment of an asset management platform is helping Main Line Health gain deeper visibility and better security over the 100,000-plus medical devices and IoT gear used throughout the group's multiple hospitals and medical facilities, said CISO Aaron Weismann, who discusses the implementation.
Healthcare groups should consider several key points about a recent Texas federal court ruling and its impact on the use of online tracker technology on the healthcare websites of HIPAA-regulated organizations, said privacy attorney Iliana Peters of the law firm Polsinelli.
The interconnectedness of medical devices, which generate data that can be distributed to multiple systems that are often managed by different policies, presents privacy concerns that device manufacturers must address, said Adam Hesse, CEO of Full Spectrum.
Cybercriminal Gang RansomHub Claims It Leaked 700 Gigabytes of Lab's Stolen DataFlorida drug testing medical laboratory American Clinical Solutions told federal regulators that 300,000 individuals are caught up in a hacking incident now that criminal gang RansomHub has published 700 gigabytes worth of data stolen from the lab's network.