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 Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software.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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The worldwide response to last week's ransomware cyberattack

Friday afternoon brought about a massive international ransomware cyberattack. Beginning at National Health Service hospitals in the United Kingdom, the attack quickly spread to 74 countries in a matter of hours. Over the weekend, additional developments have solidified this attack as the largest the world has ever experienced.

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UK NHS ransomware cyberattack spreads across the globe

A ransomware attack on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom has spread into other countries, with hospital staff in the U.K. unable to access patient data, ambulances being diverted and patients planning on visiting some departments being told to stay away. 

UK NHS experiences ransomware cyberattack

A cyberattack on the National Health Services in the United Kingdom spread into many parts of the country. While there are reports that patient information has not been accessed, the hack is being identified through tweets and images of the ransomware used. 

Texas health system to pay HHS $2.4 million for patient information breach

The Texas health system Memorial Hermann Health System (MHHS) has agreed to pay HHS $2.4 million and to implement a corrective action plan after a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule.

Secure IT: Mobile IDs could be key to patient information safety

Patient information safety is a major concern when sharing health data. Mobile IDs, used for smartphones and other devices, could be the digital padlock healthcare providers have been searching for.

Patient data remains unsafe, even at the largest hospitals

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found 1,798 large data breaches of patient data have occurred in the past seven years. The study further showed the need for improved security measures in healthcare systems nationwide.

Top 10 patient safety concerns released by ECRI Institute

ECRI Institute has released its annual top patient safety concerns for 2017, which aims to identify potential threats to patient safety while addressing challenges and offering suggestions and resources to address them.

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HIMSS 2017: Experts encourage efforts to improve cybersecurity, breach response

Cybersecurity was one of the many highlighted topics during HIMSS 2017 in Orlando, with a number of presentations focusing on industry efforts to secure patient information and still be able to share such information. Hussein Syed, chief security information officer at RWJBarnabas Health, and Ladi Adefala, MBA, senior security strategist at Fortinet, discussed how healthcare must adapt to protect patients.

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