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 Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software.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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OCR guidance addresses patient privacy during emergencies

New guidance from the Office of Civil Rights reminds covered entities and their business associates that HIPAA privacy protections are not suspended during an emergency.

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Identity theft ring cause of Fla. data breach

Members of an identify theft criminal operation accessed the personal information of nearly 8,000 patients at Miami-based Jessie Trice Community Health Center, reports SC Magazine.

Surveys indicate public supportive of EHRs, HIE despite privacy concerns

As EHR adoption increases and health information exchange expands, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT wants to track public perceptions of privacy and security of health data.

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Bulk of Calif. breaches could be prevented with encryption

Seventy percent of breaches involving the California healthcare industry were due to unencrypted data on lost or stolen hardware or portable media, a problem that strong encryption would fix, according to the latest data breach report from the state's attorney general. Only 19 percent of such breaches occurred in other industries.

‘Possibly thousands’ of medical records fly off truck

“Hundreds, possibly thousands” of medical records accidentally flew out of the back of a medical record disposal company’s truck in southwest Omaha, reports KETV.

OIG audit finds FDA cybersecurity vulnerabilities

An Office of the Inspector General audit found cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the FDA's network that could put its data at risk.

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Penn. data breach caused by hacking of third-party vendor

A physician at Penn Highlights Brookville, a healthcare service, informed patients of a breach after an intruder accessed personal data stored on the server of a Ohio-based third-party vendor.

Email hacking source of UC Davis breach

The University of California Davis Health System has notified 1,326 patients that their protected health information was compromised when a physician's email account was hacked.

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