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.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) warned hospitals this week to patch the critical 'Citrix Bleed' Netscaler vulnerability actively exploited in attacks. [...]
Vladimir Dunaev Faces Up to 35 Years in PrisonA Russian national pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court for his role in developing TrickBot. Operators of the malware targeted hospitals and healthcare centers with ransomware attacks during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Vladimir Dunaev faces up to 35 years in prison.
The Incident Involves Ransomware Encryption and Follows Familiar, Concerning TrendsA large, Seattle-based surgical group is notifying nearly 437,400 individuals that their information was potentially compromised in a ransomware and data theft incident earlier this year. The breach is part of a larger, disturbing trend in the healthcare sector in 2023.
On Thursday, a Russian national pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in developing and deploying the Trickbot malware, which was used in attacks against hospitals, companies, and individuals in the United States and worldwide. [...]
Scottish health group to tweak security checks, access authorization to avoid a repeat NHS Fife is on the wrong end of a stern ticking off by Britain's data regulator after it made a howling privacy error that aided an as yet unknown person who had entered a hospital ward only to walk off with data on 14 patients.…
Capital Health hospitals and physician offices across New Jersey are experiencing IT outages after a cyberattack hit the non-profit organization's network earlier this week. [...]
Non-urgent procedures are being rescheduled, emergency room patients redirected to other hospitals
Ardent Health Services Operates 30 Hospitals, 200 Other Care Facilities in 6 StatesTennessee-based Ardent Health Services, which operates dozens of hospitals and other healthcare facilities in several states, said on Monday that it is dealing with a ransomware attack that has forced the entity to divert some patients and cancel or reschedule certain procedures.
About 2 Dozen Welltok Health Plan Clients Affected in File Transfer Software HackThe tally of individuals whose health data was compromised in a hack on MOVEit file transfer software used by Welltok, a provider of online wellness resources to dozens of health plans, has soared to nearly 8.5 million. The hack is among the biggest health data breaches reported so far this year.
More than two dozen hospitals have been impacted by the breach and are diverting emergency care for patients to other healthcare facilities.
American healthcare company Henry Schein has reported a second cyberattack this month by the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware gang, who also breached their network in October. [...]
Ardent Health Services, a healthcare provider operating 30 hospitals across five U.S. states, disclosed today that its systems were hit by a ransomware attack on Thursday. [...]
IoT Hackers Could Inject Data to Fool 'Smart' Farmers and Vets About Animal WelfareNot even dairy cows appear to be safe from internet of things flaws, researchers report after reverse-engineering health-monitoring collars for cows and finding they could eavesdrop on and alter data. Once addressed by the manufacturer, they said the non-updateable collars would have to be replaced.
President Joe Biden's recent executive order for artificial intelligence encourages investment in AI while setting a vision for a regulatory framework to address issues involving AI technology safety, bias and other concerns in healthcare, said attorney Wendell Bartnick of the law firm Reed Smith.
More than two dozen hospitals have been impacted by the breach and are diverting emergency care for patients to other healthcare facilities.