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.
Default credentials, weak passwords, misconfigurations and a variety of other security shortcomings are exposing millions of medical devices and their data on the internet, said Soufian El Yadmani, CEO and co-founder of Modat, who shared recent research findings.
New Texas health information legislation that began to go into effect on Sept. 1 includes several noteworthy provisions including requirements related to health record data storage and artificial intelligence, said regulatory attorney Rachel Rose. Rose explains the significance of the new state law.
2 Firms Hit by Separate 2024 Attacks to Pay Total of $6.5M in Class Action ClaimsA Nebraska-based revenue cycle management firm and a Swiss-based blood products manufacturer with plasma collection centers in the United States are the latest healthcare sector companies agreeing to pay multimillion dollar lawsuit settlements for two separate 2024 hacks affecting scores of patients.
2 Firms Hit by Separate 2024 Attacks to Pay Total of $6.5M in Class Action ClaimsA Nebraska-based revenue cycle management firm and a Swiss-based blood products manufacturer with plasma collection centers in the United States are the latest healthcare sector companies agreeing to pay multimillion dollar lawsuit settlements for two separate 2024 hacks affecting scores of patients.
Also: Shutdown's Ripple Effects on Healthcare, Mounting Threats to Aging OT SystemsIn this week's update, four ISMG editors discussed the fallout from the U.S. federal shutdown and the impact on state and regional cyber offices, the knock-on effects for healthcare, and the growing cyberthreats facing aging operational technology environments.
Australian Clinical Labs Ordered to Pay $3.8 Million Over Pathology Unit Data TheftAn Australian court has fined a medical lab $5.8 million for cybersecurity failures leading up to - and following - a 2022 cyberattack that affected 223,000 patients. The penalty marked the first time Australia has levied a civil monetary fine for violations of its Privacy Act of 1988.
Australian Clinical Labs Ordered to Pay $5.8M in Data Theft at Medlab Pathology UnitAn Australian court has fined a medical lab $5.8 million for cybersecurity failures leading up to - and following - a 2022 cyberattack that affected 223,000 patients. The penalty marked the first time Australia has levied a civil monetary fine for violations of its Privacy Act of 1988.
Guide Helps Teams Prioritize, Recognizing Not All Vendors Pose Same Level of RiskThird-party security risk is among the most complicated challenges facing the healthcare sector because of the wide variety of vendors involved and the critical products and services they provide. A new Health Sector Coordinating Council toolkit aims to help entities navigate those difficulties.
Texas-Based Harris Health Says FBI Just Gave Green Light to Notify 5,000 PatientsHarris Health is contacting 5,000 patients about a breach involving a former employee who improperly accessed electronic health records for over a decade. The Texas health entity said it discovered and reported the incident four years ago to the FBI, which just gave the green light for notification.
No fraud monitoring and no apology after miscreants make off with medical, financial data Florida-based Doctors Imaging Group has admitted that the sensitive medical and financial data of 171,862 patients was stolen during the course of a November 2024 cyberattack.…
The Qilin ransomware gang has claimed attacks at Mecklenburg County Public Schools, stealing financial records and childrens’ medical files
The Edmund Group's Adler on Managing Third- and Fourth-Party Risk in HealthcareHealthcare organizations face growing risks from data distribution, vendor dependencies and global instability. Steven Adler, partner at The Edmund Group, discusses practical steps to strengthen vendor oversight and resilience.
Ransomware crooks utterly fail to find moral compass First they targeted a preschool network, now new kids on the ransomware block Radiant Group say they've hit a hospital in the US, continuing their deplorable early cybercrime careers.…