Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Pandemic Plus Ransomware Is 'Perfect Storm' for Healthcare

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 22, 2021

Disturbing findings from a recent study examining the impact of ransomware attacks on patient care must serve as a wake-up call for the healthcare sector to intensify its preparedness to deal with such incidents, say Larry Ponemon of research firm Ponemon Institute and Ed Gaudet of risk management firm Censinet. The...

Dental Alliance Reports Vendor Breach Affecting 170,000

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 21, 2021

The Professional Dental Alliance is notifying more than 170,000 individuals in about a dozen states of a phishing breach involving an affiliated vendor that provides nonclinical management services to dental practices owned by PDA. Why is breach notification so complicated?

Hacker in UPMC Data Theft, Fraud Case Gets Maximum Sentences

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 20, 2021

A federal judge has imposed the maximum sentences - a total of seven years in prison - on a hacker who earlier pleaded guilty in a conspiracy case involving the hacking of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center human resources databases and the theft of personal information of 65,000 employees - some which was sold...

More Attempted Cyberattacks on Israeli Healthcare Entities

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 19, 2021

Israeli officials say they have fended off a wave of attempted cyberattacks on several hospitals and healthcare entities in recent days, as Hillel Yaffe Medical Center continues to recover from a ransomware attack last week that authorities reportedly suspect was carried out by Chinese hackers.

Analysis: Top Ransomware Gangs Targeting Healthcare Sector

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 18, 2021

Ransomware attacks are continuing to threaten the U.S. and global healthcare sectors, in part due to many organizations' high dependency on legacy systems and lack of security resources, says new analysis by federal officials, which also identified the top ransomware gangs hitting the sector.

Ransomware Attack on Israeli Medical Center Raises Alarm

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 15, 2021

Government authorities in Israel are warning healthcare sector entities in the country of potential cyberattacks after a ransomware attack this week on Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in the city of Hadera. The hospital said it is "using alternative systems" to care for its patients.

Osteopathic Professional Group Reports Year-Old Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 14, 2021

The American Osteopathic Association has just begun notifying nearly 28,000 individuals about a June 2020 data exfiltration incident involving their personal information. The medical professional organization says workforce challenges during the pandemic led to the notification delay.

Fertility Testing Lab Says Ransomware Breach Affects 350,000

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 13, 2021

A flurry of hacking incidents and other recent breach developments highlight the cyberthreats and risks facing fertility healthcare and other related specialty providers that handle sensitive patient information.

Former Executive Accessed PHI of Nearly 38,000 Individuals

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 12, 2021

A compromise of sensitive health information affecting nearly 38,000 individuals discovered nearly a year after a terminated company executive accessed the data spotlights some of the top security and privacy challenges covered entities and business associates face with insiders.

FIN12 Ransomware Attacks Aggressively Targeting Healthcare

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 11, 2021

A Russian-speaking threat actor group that deploys the Ryuk variant ransomware, leverages initial access brokers, and generally skips double-extortion attempts in favor of fast and higher payout ransoms has been predominately targeting the healthcare sector, warns security firm Mandiant.

Efforts to Incentivize Healthcare Sector Cyber Investments

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 8, 2021

A federal law signed earlier this year amending the HITECH Act could help incentivize many healthcare sector entities to bolster their cybersecurity programs, says federal adviser Erik Decker, CISO of Intermountain Health, who suggest other incentives, as well.

HHS Warns Healthcare Sector About LockBit 2.0 Threats

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 7, 2021

Federal regulators are warning healthcare and public health sector organizations of potential attacks by the ransomware group LockBit 2.0 and its affiliates. The group claimed credit for the August attack on consultancy firm Accenture. What preventative steps should healthcare sector entities take?

Patient Safety Concerns Grow Over Medical Gear Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 6, 2021

The expanded recall of insulin pump devices due to vulnerabilities that pose the risk of injury or death to patients and a recent malpractice lawsuit alleging that the effects of a ransomware attack led to a baby's death are the latest warnings of dangers posed by security issues in medical gear.

Medtronic Insulin Pump Devices Recalled Due to Serious Risks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 5, 2021

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued a warning notifying patients that medical device maker Medtronic has expanded a recall of remote controllers for certain wireless insulin pumps that were part of an earlier recall. The FDA has classified the recall as the most serious type due to issues that could...

FDA: How to Inform Patients About Medical Device Cyber Flaws

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 5, 2021

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new best practices document for healthcare industry stakeholders and government agencies to use when communicating medical device vulnerabilities to patients and caregivers.