Reading Room
Coos health clinics shut down by ransomware attack
The Conway Daily Sun, September 23, 2021
A ransomware attack this week shut down Coos County Family Health Services, a main provider of health services in the Androscoggin Valley. Coos County Family Health CEO Ken Gordon said the attack affected essentially all of its systems — phone, computer and email.
CSA Offers Guidance on Preventing Ransomware in the Healthcare Cloud
Health IT Security, September 23, 2021
New guidance from the Cloud Security Alliance warns organizations about the prevalence of ransomware in the healthcare cloud and shows how to mitigate risk.
Ransomware and Targeted Attacks in the Healthcare Sector
Security Boulevard, September 23, 2021
A recent report published by SonicWall indicates that ransomware has increased by 151% in the first half of 2021, compared with the same time period in 2020. With a reported 304.7 million attempted ransomware attacks, and some of the major attacks reported so far in 2021, it’s clear that there are no signs of ransomware slowing down any time soon.
Report: Ransomware is a patient mortality risk, driven by COVID, third-party vendors
SC Media, September 22, 2021
A new report from the Ponemon Institute reinforces the patient safety risks posed by ransomware attacks: 22% of surveyed providers saw an increase in the rate of mortality in their health care organization after a cyberattack. The driving factors include the COVID-19 response and security gaps within the third-party vendor ecosystem.
Lawsuit: Health System Failed to Heed Ransomware Warnings
Gov Info Security, September 15, 2021
A proposed class action lawsuit filed this week against St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in the wake of a recent ransomware breach affecting 1.4 million individuals alleges that the Georgia-based healthcare entity was “reckless” and “negligent” in safeguarding patients’ information.
Ransomware groups continue assault on healthcare orgs as COVID-19 infections increase
MSN, September 13, 2021
Ransomware groups have shown no signs of slowing down their assault on hospitals, seemingly ramping up attacks on healthcare institutions as dozens of countries deal with a new wave of COVID-19 infections thanks to the potent Delta variant.
U.S. healthcare hit by yet another cyberattack
Digital Journal, September 11, 2021
The U.S. medical body, California health center LifeLong Medical Care, has been struck by a ransomware attack. The attack was sufficiently wide to leak personally identifiable information of around 115,000 patients across numerous health organizations.
AZ Ransomware Attack Leads to Unrecoverable EHRs, Data Loss
Health IT Security, September 10, 2021
An Arizona medical center will have to rebuild thousands of patient records after a ransomware attack resulted in corrupted EHRs and data loss.
Read full Health IT Security article.
Recent Breaches Underscore High Healthcare Security Risk
Dark Reading, September 10, 2021
Healthcare institutions in California and Arizona are sending breach notification letters after attackers compromised thousands of patients’ data.
Healthcare orgs in California, Arizona send out breach letters for nearly 150 000 after SSNs accessed during ransomware attacks
ZD Net, September 10, 2021
LifeLong Medical Care and Queen Creek Medical Center were both hit with ransomware attacks over the past year.