Cybercriminals conduct phishing attacks by sending millions of messages randomly in the hope of getting a few responses, but more targeted attacks can be far more profitable. There has been an increase in these targeted attacks, which are often referred to as spear phishing. Spear phishing attacks have doubled in the past year according to… Read More »
Southeastern Minnesota Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (SEMOMS) has announced it has been attacked with ransomware and that the protected health information of up to 80,000 patients was potentially compromised in the attack. The attack was detected on September 23, 2019. The IT team responded and isolated the affected server and took steps to restore the… Read More »
Ransomware attacks used to be conducted indiscriminately, with the file-encrypting software most commonly distributed in mass spam email campaigns. However, since 2017, ransomware attacks have become far more targeted. It is now common for cybercriminals to select targets to attack where there is a higher than average probability of a ransom being paid. Healthcare providers… Read More »
Kalispell Regional Healthcare in Montana is being sued over a phishing attack in which hackers gained access to employee email accounts containing the protected health information of almost 130,000 patients. The compromised email accounts contained patient information such as names, contact information, medical bill account numbers, medical histories, and health insurance information. Approximately 250 individuals… Read More »
Nebraska Medicine has discovered an employee has accessed the medical records of patients without any legitimate work reason for doing so over a period of almost three months. The privacy violation was discovered during a routine audit of its medical record system. The audit revealed the employee had first accessed patient records on July 11,… Read More »
Solara Medical Supplies is facing legal action over a June 2019 data breach that saw the protected health information of more than 114,000 customers exposed and potentially stolen by an unauthorized individual who gained access to its email system. Solara Medical Supplies, a supplier of medical devices and disposable medical products, discovered the breach on… Read More »
Compensation is being sought by former Facebook content moderators who claim to have suffered psychological injuries as a direct result of the exposure to extreme online content at work. Several employees have started legal action against Facebook, first in California and now in Ireland, where Facebook has its EMEA headquarters. In September 2019, the Personal… Read More »
Cyberattacks on healthcare organizations have increased in frequency and severity in the past year, according to recently published research from Malwarebytes. In its latest report – Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques: The 2019 State of Healthcare – Malwarebytes offers insights into the main threats that have plagued the healthcare industry over the past year and explains… Read More »
Loudoun Medical Group, dba Comprehensive Sleep Care Center (CSCC), has been affected by a phishing attack that occurred on or around June 19, 2019. The IT department was alerted to a potential email security breach when suspicious activity was detected in an employee’s email account. The password was immediately changed to prevent further unauthorized access… Read More »
Amazon has announced that Alexa has a new healthcare skill that patients can use to manage their medications and order prescription refills. Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it has developed a HIPAA-eligible environment for skill developers that incorporates the necessary safeguards to comply with the requirements of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Amazon… Read More »