Cybersecurity

The digital security of healthcare institutions and data is a growing concern, with an increasing number of cyberattacks each year against healthcare systems, which are seen as easy targets. Cyber attacks often use ransomware to target personal health information, patient data and medical devices to cut off access to the data until a ransom is payed to the hacker. Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software. Due to the interconnected nature of hospital IT systems today, the weakest link can be older web-enabled medical devices, including clinical and non-clinical systems. Employees are also a major target of attacks via malicious e-mails that prompt them to open attachments that then download malware onto the hospital's IT system.

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Hostage crisis? Ransomware is a threat that demands disaster planning

Considering the growing threat of ransomware in healthcare, organizations need to plan for the day their data become hostages, according to new research from Marshall University. Training and maintaining “digital hygiene” can not only reduce the likelihood of an attack, it also may reduce the financial and operational impacts of an incident.

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Hackers access health records of 1.5M patients in Singapore

Attempts to hack political players isn’t just an American thing. Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore’s prime minister, has been repeatedly targeted by cyber thieves—and they have accessed a database with information of 1.5 million patients who visited clinics run by SingHealth, the country’s public healthcare system.

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Could blockchain be the answer to fraud?

Reports of a Chinese vaccine manufacturer fabricating data about its rabies vaccine data has caused an uproar both in China and internationally. It also has also led many to consider blockchain as a potential answer to fraudulent activity.

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Data breaches are more common—and they're costing millions

Data breaches are major operational disruptors that cost companies millions of dollars—and healthcare ends up getting hit the hardest.

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Ransomware incidents down 17%—but threat of cyberattacks continues to grow

Cyberattacks are on the rise, but ransomware has declined 17 percent, according to ISACA’s State of Cybersecurity 2018 survey.

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Mayo Clinic, Medicalchain sign work agreement to explore blockchain

Medicalchain, providers of blockchain technology for the secure storage and transfer of electronic health records, have signed a joint work agreement with Mayo Clinic to improve blockchain technology utilization in healthcare.

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Survey: More organizations prioritizing cybersecurity in past year

Concern over the state of cybersecurity has led to 23 percent more organizations making improvements to their security systems since last year, according to the 2018 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO survey.

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5 tips to reduce end-point complexity, improve strategic alignment

Reducing end-point complexity and improving internal stakeholder alignment should be the focus of hospitals hoping to prevent cyberattacks, according to a study published May 28 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Around the web

Cardiovascular devices are more likely to be in a Class I recall than any other device type. The FDA's approval process appears to be at least partially responsible, though the agency is working to make some serious changes. We spoke to a researcher who has been tracking these data for years to learn more. 

Updated compensation data includes good news for multiple subspecialties. The new report also examines private equity's impact on employment models and how much male cardiologists earn compared to females.

When drugs are on the FDA’s shortage list, outsourcing facilities can produce their own compounded versions. When the FDA removed tirzepatide from that list with no warning, it created a considerable amount of chaos both behind the scenes and in pharmacies all over the country. 

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