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 Cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, using malware, ransomware and spyware to attack outdated and vulnerable systems and software.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.

I stack of more than 300 computers with cyberattack infected hard drives at Sky Lakes Medical Center, Oregon, discusses how the hospitals IT team overcame a ransomware attack in 2020 during the height of COVID that took down their entire network and how radiology recovered within two weeks.. 

VIDEO: How radiology was restored after a ransomware attack at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Oregon

John Gaede, director of information systems, Sky Lakes Medical Center, Oregon, discusses how the hospital's IT team overcame a ransomware attack in 2020 and restored radiology in about two weeks.

January 23, 2023
Health data breaches were on the rise last year, increasing 3-fold in 2021,leaving millions of Americans’ sensitive health information exposed.

Health data breaches increased three-fold in 2021

Health data breaches were on the rise last year, leaving millions of Americans’ sensitive health information exposed.

 

March 24, 2022

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