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…
Staffing shortage a contributing factor to cybersecurity vulnerabilities
Editor's Note According to a new report, titled “The State of Security 2022” from Software company Splunk, mass resignations and gaps in staffing may be contributing to cybersecurity companies’ inability to defend against certain cyberattacks, Becker’s Health IT April 25 reports. The report surveyed more than 1,000 cybersecurity leaders across…
Hospitals, ORs fear ransomware fallout from Ukraine invasion
Hospitals and health systems know they are attractive targets for cybercriminals. When lives are at stake, and the victims are often insured, ransomware gangs can expect a quick and easy payout. But since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, hospitals have had to face a new reality: The…
Cybersecurity alert: New ‘exceptionally aggressive’ ransomware threat
Editor's Note In an HC3: Analyst Note alert released on April 18, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a cybersecurity threat warning for a new ransomware group named Hive that HHS called “exceptionally aggressive” and “financially motivated,” Becker’s Health IT April 20 reports. According to the alert,…
Cybersecurity advisory alert: Vulnerabilities with authentication methods
Editor's Note On March 15, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommended all organizations take action to “enable, enforce, and properly configure” their multifactor authentication (MFA) protocols, the American Hospital Association (AHA) March 16 reports. Russian state-sponsored actors are reportedly exploiting known vulnerabilities in MFA protocols, including…
Three cybersecurity companies offering free service to US hospitals
Editor's Note OR Manager recently reported on the increased cybersecurity risk the Russia/Ukraine conflict poses to US healthcare systems. With two new malware threats identified last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI are urging US organizations and the private sector, including healthcare, to stay vigilant and…
Cybersecurity alert: Two new malware threats identified, increased risk
Editor's Note On February 23, the American Hospital Association (AHA) released a Cybersecurity Advisory report because of the heightened risk of cyberattacks due to the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to AHA, just this past weekend, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI urged the US private sector, including…
ECRI names Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2022
Editor's Note ECRI has named cybersecurity attacks as the number one health technology hazard for 2022. In its report, ECRI notes that all healthcare organizations are subject to cybersecurity attacks, and that the question is not whether they will be attacked but when. A cybersecurity attack could threaten medical devices…
Not just leading, but leading well in a time of crisis
Lessons on leadership are the staple of any leadership-focused conference; but no conference presents leadership lessons tailored to the OR community quite like the OR Business Management Conference. After a 19-month hiatus, the OR Business Management Conference brought perioperative managers and administrators back together in what was described as an…