Reading Room
Minnesota’s Lake Region Healthcare Recovering From Ransomware Attack
IT Health Security, Janury 7, 2021
A ransomware attack struck Minnesota-based Lake Region Healthcare just before Christmas, resulting in some system disruptions; “activist” data leaks and two email hacks complete this week’s breach roundup.
UVM Health Delays Epic EHR Implementation After Cyberattack, COVID-19
EHR Intelligence, January 6, 2021
One of 2020’s worst cyberattacks resulted in University of Vermont (UVM) Health delaying its Epic EHR implementation schedule.
Healthcare Organizations Bear the Brunt of Cyberattacks Amid Pandemic
DARK READING, January 6, 2021
Hospitals and other healthcare organizations bore the brunt of cyberattacks last year, all the while struggling to cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new report this week from Check Point Software, attacks on healthcare entities worldwide jumped 45% in the past two months as attackers tried to take advantage of the pandemic by disrupting operations and extorting ransoms from organizations under tremendous pressure to provide uninterrupted services.
Cyberattacks on Healthcare Spike 45% Since November
Threat Post, January 5, 2021
The relentless rise in COVID-19 cases is battering already frayed healthcare systems — and ransomware criminals are using the opportunity to strike.
After widespread hospital attacks, targeting of health care industry continues to rise
SC Media, January 5, 2021
A wave of ransomware attacks against hospitals in the United States and United Kingdom late last year shocked the conscious of many cybersecurity professionals. Things have only gotten worse for the health care industry since then.
The Institute for Security and Technology (IST) Launches Multi-Sector Ransomware Task Force (RTF)
Institute for Security and Technology (IST), December 21, 2020
The Institute for Security and Technology (IST) — in partnership with a broad coalition of experts in industry, government, law enforcement, nonprofits, cybersecurity insurance, and international organizations — is launching a new Ransomware Task Force (RTF) to tackle this increasingly prevalent and destructive type of cybercrime. The RTF’s founding members understand that ransomware is too large of a threat for any one entity to address, and have come together to provide clear recommendations for both public and private action that will significantly reduce the threat posed by this criminal enterprise.
Patients of a Vermont Hospital Are Left ‘in the Dark’ After a Cyberattack
NY Times, November 26, 2020
A wave of damaging attacks on hospitals upended the lives of patients with cancer and other ailments. “I have no idea what to do,” one said.
Cyberattacks on America’s health systems have become their own kind of pandemic over the past year as Russian cybercriminals have shut down clinical trials and treatment studies for the coronavirus vaccine and cut off hospitals’ access to patient records, demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms for their return.
Ransomware in healthcare: The inevitable truth
MedCity News, October 30, 2020
The best path forward for healthcare organizations is first to understand the characteristics, causes, and indicators of ransomware attacks and then be proactive in taking preventative measures.
FBI warns ransomware assault threatens US health care system
AP News, October 29, 2020
Federal agencies warned that cybercriminals could unleash a wave of data-scrambling extortion attempts against the U.S. health care system, an effort that, if successful, could paralyze hospital information systems just as nationwide cases of COVID-19 are spiking.