The healthcare and public health sector (HPH) has been warned about the threat of ransomware attacks by the Lorenz threat group, which has conducted several attacks in the United States over the past two years, with no sign that attacks are slowing. Lorenz ransomware is human-operated and is deployed after the threat actors have gained… Read More »

October was the worst month of the year to date for healthcare data breaches, with 71 breaches reported and more than 6 million records breached. The first half of the year was looking like 2022 would see a reduction in healthcare data breaches; however, that is looking increasingly unlikely. In 2021, 714 data breaches of… Read More »

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 10 individuals over business email compromise scams that have resulted in more than $11.1 million being defrauded from Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurance programs. The payments were intended for hospitals for providing covered medical services. Business email compromise (BEC) scams involve gaining access to legitimate email accounts… Read More »

The Wisconsin-based dermatology practice, Forefront Dermatology, has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of patients whose protected health information (PHI) was compromised in a ransomware attack in late May 2021. Forefront Dermatology has affiliated practices in 21 states and Washington D.C. In May 2021, the practice was targeted by the Cuba… Read More »

The U.S. healthcare industry is currently engaged in a cyber war against a widely dispersed set of adversaries, which include hordes of financially-motivated hackers and organized cybercriminal groups, hacktivists, and nation-state-sponsored threat actors. Ransomware has become an epidemic, and while there are signs that attacks are leveling off or decreasing, the healthcare industry has yet… Read More »

The Hive ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation first emerged in June 2021 and has aggressively targeted the health and public health sector (HPH) and continues to do so. From June 2021 until November 2022, the group conducted attacks on more than 1,300 organizations worldwide, generating more than $100 million in ransom payments. Victims in the HPH sector include… Read More »

Dental Oasis, (Inku & Myung Dental Inc.), an Inglewood, CA-based dentistry practice, has recently been confirmed as having implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program by Compliancy Group. Dental practices are classified as covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and as such must comply with the federally mandated standards of the… Read More »

There was a global increase in cyberattacks in Q3, 2022, with attacks rising by 28% compared to the corresponding period last year. Attacks are now occurring at a rate of 1,130 per week, on average, according to Check Point Research. Education was the most extensively targeted sector in Q3, experiencing an 18% rise in attacks,… Read More »

Salud Family Health Provides Update on September 2022 Ransomware Attack Colorado-based Salud Family Health, a Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC), has recently provided an update on a September 2022 cyberattack and has confirmed that patient data was potentially stolen. Salud Family Health said the security breach was detected on September 5, 2022, and it has… Read More »

HIPAA Journal is conducting interviews with healthcare professionals and service providers to find out more about their compliance journeys, how the HIPAA Rules have affected their working lives, and the successes and challenges they have faced with HIPAA compliance. Caroline Cook, Privacy Consultant, GDH Government Consulting Services, has shared her thoughts Tell the readers about… Read More »