Reading Room
Texas hospital confirms patient data theft amid network outage from ransomware attack
SC Media, September 16, 2022
OakBend Medical Center has confirmed “sensitive information was breached within the hospital infrastructure,” after two weeks of electronic health record downtime brought on by a ransomware attack. The Texas provider is working with federal law enforcement amid the network outage.
Ransomware gang threatens 1m-plus medical record leak
The Register, September 14, 2022
Two recent ransomware attacks against healthcare systems indicate cybercriminals continue to put medical clinics and hospitals firmly in their crosshairs.
Daixin Team has taken credit for a September 1 assault on Texas-based OakBend Medical Center, causing a shutdown of the organization’s communication and IT systems as well as exfiltrating internal data.
Cyber criminals increasingly relying on ransomware-as-a-service, report says
FCW, September 13, 2022
A new report reveals threat actors are using the same ransomware as in previous years – but relying on new malware-free intrusion methods and ransomware-as-a-service offerings to evade popular mitigation techniques.
NHS supplier continues to face IT challenges – The problem with government-run IT
Electro Pages, September 13, 2022
What was initially said to be a small problem has now clearly become a serious issue, and paperwork from healthcare professionals continues to pile up. What exactly happened to NHS services, why are they facing numerous issues, and does this raise concerns for government-related services?
‘Cyber insecurity’ in healthcare is leading to increased patient mortality rates
Tech Republic, September 12, 2022
A new report finds that ransomware attacks are delaying procedures and tests, resulting in poor patient outcomes and increased complications from medical procedures.
Texas hospital hit by ransomware attack
Becker’s Health IT, September 12, 2022
Richmond, Texas-based OakBend Medical Center is notifying patients that it was the target of a ransomware attack on Sept. 1.
In a notice on its website, the Texas medical center said it took all systems offline, placed them in lockdown mode and referred the attack to the FBI, CYD and Fort Bend County’s cybersecurity team to investigate the incident.
FBI recommends action to protect vulnerable medical devices from cyberattacks
American Hospital Association, September 12, 2022
The FBI today released recommendations to help protect medical devices from cyberattacks that can threaten health care operations, patient safety, and data privacy and integrity, citing a growing number of unpatched medical device vulnerabilities.
Aaron Weismann on ransomware attacks
Becker’s Health IT, September 12, 2022
Ransomware and other cyberattacks are part of our world, and health system CIOs need to be prepared for them.
Aaron Weismann, chief information security officer at Main Line Health system in Radnor Township, Pa., stopped by the “Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT” podcast to discuss ransomware attacks.
Texas hospital facing communication issues, system rebuild amid ransomware attack
SC Media, September 12, 2022
A ransomware attack deployed against OakBend Medical Center on Sept. 1 caused communication issues and IT disruptions. The Texas hospital is operating under electronic health record downtime procedures as it works to rebuild, according to an update on its website.
Increased Mortality Rates Linked to Cyber-Attacks Against Healthcare Organizations
Info Security, September 11, 2022
A recent report, which surveyed 641 healthcare IT and security practitioners, found that 89% of them experienced an average of 43 attacks in the past 12 months, with more than 20% suffering one of the following types of attacks: cloud compromise, ransomware, supply chain, and phishing.