Reading Room
How hackers used ransomware to undermine healthcare everywhere
Security Magazine, July 30, 2021
As COVID-19 ravaged hospitals’ patient care units last year, opportunistic criminals saw an opportunity to pluck low-hanging fruit: Hacking groups decided to breach and ransom healthcare institutions during a time of global crisis.
UC San Diego Health Hack May Have Exposed Patient Info
Gov Tech, July 29, 2021
Earlier this week, UC San Diego Health disclosed that it experienced a data breach between December 2020 and April 2021 that could have compromised sensitive patient information. The breach occurred through phishing.
How Security Training Can Combat the Threat of Ransomware
Health Tech, July 29, 2021
Preparedness, security tools and a recovery plan are key to helping healthcare organizations overcome cybersecurity attacks.
Ransomware attacks cost healthcare orgs $20.8B in 2020
Becker’s Health IT, July 28, 2021
Ransomware attacks skyrocketed amid the pandemic when hospitals increased their use of remote work and moved more hospital data online, according to a July 21 report by cybersecurity consulting firm CynergisTek.
Health care sees largest data breach costs at $9.23M, while 76% fail to secure supply chain
SC Media, July 28, 2021
The average cost of a data breach in the health care sector tops $9.23 million, the highest of all 17 sectors analyzed for the IBM Security 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report. Meanwhile, a new CynergisTek report shows 76% of providers are failing to secure their supply chains, one of the sector’s biggest blindspots.
FBI tells Congress ransomware payments shouldn’t be banned
CNN, July 28, 2021
Congress should not attempt to address the threat of ransomware by making ransom payments to cybercriminals illegal, a top FBI official told US lawmakers Tuesday.
Why healthcare security needs urgent care
Hospital Health, July 28, 2021
Increased ransomware incidents in health care require stringent protection of critical systems and data. Australia’s healthcare sector has been the target of increased cybersecurity incidents since COVID-19 forced digital care into the spotlight. Sensitive data collected by healthcare providers, as well as their increased reliance on cloud-based services and telehealth, make the industry a prime target
FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Announces Further Actions to Protect U.S. Critical Infrastructure
White House, July 28, 2021
The Biden Administration continues to take steps to safeguard U.S. critical infrastructure from growing, persistent, and sophisticated cyber threats. Recent high-profile attacks on critical infrastructure around the world, including the ransomware attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and JBS Foods in the United States, demonstrate that significant cyber vulnerabilities exist across U.S. critical infrastructure, which is largely owned and operated by the private sector. As we have seen, the degradation, destruction, or malfunction of systems that control this infrastructure can have cascading physical consequences that could have a debilitating effect on national security, economic security, and the public health and safety of the American people.
When Ransomware Group REvil Vanished, Its Victims Were Stranded
Bloomberg, July 27, 2021
Hi, this is Kartikay on the cyber team. Ransomware attacks always hurt—but perhaps never more so than when the victim is compromised through the very company they pay for IT and security services.
Relentless cyber attacks are putting financial pressure on hospitals: Fitch Ratings
Fierce Healthcare, July 26, 2021
A historic jump in the number and severity of cyber assaults on hospitals during the last 18 months will cause “material revenue and expense pressures” on nonprofit hospitals and health systems, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.