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 Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software.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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California hospital pays $17,000 ransom to restore its systems after malware attack

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center has paid a ransom of 40 bitcoins, worth approximately $17,000, to a group of hackers who infiltrated the hospital’s computer systems.

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5 things to know about patient perceptions of health info privacy, security

Healthcare consumers became less concerned about the privacy and security of their medical and related records in the three-year period 2012 to 2014. But will the trend of trust endure in the wake of the massive, high-profile data breaches that started dropping like confidence-busting bombs in 2015?

Radiology center announces privacy breach after patient records fall out of truck

Radiology Regional Center, a diagnostic facility with nine locations in Florida, announced this week that records containing personal patient information fell from a waste management truck onto the street in Fort Meyers, Fla., while being transported to be incinerated.

Medical records found in Florida landfill

A man discarding trash at a St. Petersburg, Fl.-area landfill stumbled upon unsecured patient medical records originating from a now-closed urgent care facility, according to a report from ABC News.

Hackers using ransomware to hold Calif. hospital data hostage

Hackers are holding a Hollywood, Calif., hospital ransom, demanding $3.6 million in Bitcoin to release the vital patient data they encrypted in a ransomware cyberattack.

Miami provider experiences another security problem

Miami-based Jackson Health System is facing its second security incident in the span of a week.

Hospital auditing company's stolen laptop impacts 31K patients

A hospital auditing company has reported a laptop containing data from nearly 31,000 patients was stolen, according to the McCook Gazette.

91K affected by improper Wash. state employee data exchange

Apple Health, Washington state's Medicaid program, has reported a breach affecting the protected health information of more than 91,000 individuals.

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Around the web

Cardiovascular Business
Q&A: Why are cardiovascular devices involved in so many recalls? FDA policies may be to blame

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. 

Cardiovascular Business
Cardiologist compensation still rising, especially in invasive and interventional cardiology

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.

Cardiovascular Business
FDA’s tirzepatide decision creates uncertainty for patients—and leads to a lawsuit

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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