Three-quarters of infusion pumps have security flaws that make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. In addition, 52% are susceptible to two risks disclosed in 2019, with one ranked as critically severe and the other as highly severe. This is what Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42, a team of security analysts that research cyberthreats, found when analyzing more than 200,000 pumps on the networks of … [Read more...]
Cyberattackers eying small providers as easy victims
Cyberattackers are shifting their focus more toward smaller healthcare providers, seeing them as easy targets. Outpatient facilities, including family medicine and specialty clinics, were targeted almost as often as hospitals in the first half of 2021, while business associates like claims processors accounted for 43% of all healthcare breaches, according to a report by cybersecurity firm … [Read more...]
Number of individuals affected by healthcare data breaches rises 185%
Only seven months into 2021 and more than 22.8 million people have fallen victim to healthcare data breaches. This is a 185% increase from the same time last year, when just 7.9 million patients were affected. In addition, the number of reported breaches to the HHS increased 27% year-over-year during the first six months of 2021, with providers out of all healthcare entities experiencing the … [Read more...]
Why Providers Must Prepare for a Ransomware Attack
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the healthcare industry even more vulnerable to ransomware attacks. As COVID-19 hit, so too did ransomware. In the United States, an attack hit at least 26 healthcare providers between January and May. Most notable was a malware attack on the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine that cost a $1.14-million ransom. Additionally, … [Read more...]
Why healthcare providers are losing the cybersecurity battle
[Reprinted from MedCity News] It is time for medical organizations to re-assess the potential consequences of complacency, and equip their security teams with the resources they need to keep their staff, and ultimately their patients safe. In 2019 experts red-flagged previously unforeseen levels of attacks on healthcare providers, with the US Department of Health and Human Services … [Read more...]