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.
Multimillion Dollar Deal Resolves 27 Lawsuits After 2023 Email Storage HackA Tennessee federal court has approved a multimillion dollar settlement in consolidated class action litigation against HCA Healthcare in the wake of a 2023 email data theft hack that the publicly traded company reported as affecting nearly 11.3 million individuals.
Also: Hospital Scandal Exposes HIPAA Risks; Jamf Acquisition Signals Industry ShiftIn this week's panel, ISMG editors discussed privacy concerns related to the U.N. Cybercrime Treaty, the legal fallout from candid photos of patients at Baptist Jay Hospital posted to SnapChat, and the market implications for Francisco Partners' acquisition of Apple device management firm Jamf.
Hospitals told to upgrade, but some medical device makers haven't prescribed compatibility yet NHS hospitals are being blocked from fully upgrading to Windows 11 by a small number of suppliers that have yet to make their medical devices compatible with Microsoft's latest operating system.…
Experts Call for Whole-Business Planning to Protect Patients and OperationsWhen a hospital, healthcare system or one of their critical third-party vendors is hit with a ransomware attack, all hell can break loose quickly. That can mean diverted ambulances, cancelled patient appointments, business processes put on hold and other critical operations stopped.
Researcher Gjoko Krstic’s "Project Brainfog" exposed hundreds of zero-day vulnerabilities in building-automation systems still running hospitals, schools, and offices worldwide.
Agency Warns Vertikal Systems Vulnerabilities Could Help Hackers Access DataU.S. federal authorities are warning about vulnerabilities in hospital information management systems from Romanian firm Vertikal Systems that could allow hackers to obtain and disclose patient data. The affected systems are used mostly by smaller hospitals and clinics outside the United States.
Nonprofit Foundation Holds Equity, Oversight Around $130B For-Profit CorporationThe nonprofit OpenAI Foundation now controls a $130 billion for-profit arm after a recapitalization process approved by attorneys general in California and Delaware. The nonprofit retains governance authority and will fund global health and AI risk mitigation programs, backed by regulatory approval.
Staff Allegedly Took Photos, Posted Pics on Social Media Without Patient ConsentA Florida hospital is facing several lawsuits filed by patients who alleged staff members used their personal phones to take and post humiliating photos on social medial of the patients without their consent while they were asleep or medicated, and semi-undressed.
Humana, BCBS Montana Are Among Clients of Conduent HackConduent Business Solutions LLC has told state regulators that a hacking incident discovered in January has affected more than 10.5 million patients. Clients affected include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana and Humana, as well as an undisclosed number of other organizations.