HHS offers tips to protect from web application attacks in healthcare
Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) released a new brief offering tips on how to protect healthcare organizations from basic web application attacks, the American Hospital Association (AHA) July 26 reports. These attacks target patient portals and expose patient…
Joint Commission collecting, sharing CISA educational resources on cybersecurity
Editor's Note The Joint Commission on July 13 announced via its blog Dateline @ TJC that it has partnered with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to compile and make available several CISA educational resources and tools on cybersecurity at no cost to healthcare providers. These include: A template…
Cybersecurity alert: New ransomware threat to healthcare out of North Korea
Editor's Note The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Treasury Department on July 6 issued a joint cybersecurity advisory warning of ransomware threats against the US healthcare and public sectors from hackers sponsored by North Korea, Becker’s Health IT July 6 reports. The FBI explained the threat comes from…
Recent ransomware attack affected 600 healthcare organizations
Editor's Note More than 600 healthcare organizations, including hospitals, practices, and other health facilities, have been affected by a data breach on an accounts receivable management company called Professional Finance Company's network, Becker’s Health IT July 5 reports. The ransomware attack on Professional Finance Company, which provides services to healthcare…
Legislation to improve medical device cybersecurity introduced, supported by AHA
Editor's Note On Friday, June 24, the American Hospital Association (AHA) voiced support for the Protecting and Transforming Cyber Health Care Act (PATCH Act)—legislation that would “require medical device manufacturers to meet certain cybersecurity requirements when seeking approval for devices that are internet connected or include software” in order to…
Report: Breaches of health information on the rise since 2015
Editor's Note According to an “electronic health information” release by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), titled “HHS Needs to Improve Communications for Breach Reporting” and published on May 27, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has seen an increase in reported breaches of health information since 2015,…
Business conference placed staffing challenges in sharp focus
May 2022 brought business leaders and operations managers back together in person for the OR Business Management Conference. This year marked its 10th anniversary, and the intimate event highlighted several facets of the behemoth issue that is staffing. Several sessions touched on the topic, including: • “Organize the chaos and…
HHS publishes guidance for health systems to strengthen cybersecurity
Editor's Note On June 16, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a guidance, titled “Strengthening Cyber Posture in the Health Sector, to help health systems and other healthcare organizations “improve their overall strength, protocols, and prevention abilities for cyberattacks,” Becker’s Health…
Report: Ransomware attacks on healthcare facilities up by 94% globally
Editor's Note According to a report from cybersecurity firm Sophos, titled “The State of Ransomware in Healthcare 2022” and published in May 2022, ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations have increased by 94% “year over year” globally, Becker’s Health IT June 6 reports. The report includes findings from an “independent, vendor-agnostic…
Keynote: Cybersecurity risk management, protecting your OR and bottom line
Editor's Note Juuso Leinonen, principal project engineer at ECRI, an independent nonprofit healthcare research organization, captured OR Business Management Conference attendees with this message: cybersecurity is a patient safety issue. Each year, ECRI produces a list of 10 health technology hazards, and in 2022, cybersecurity attacks topped the list. During…