Editor's Note Nationwide pharmacy delays and disrupted internal systems are among the effects of a February 21 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States. Systems were immediately disconnected to protect partners and patients, the organization reports, and “all other systems across UnitedHealth…

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Editor's Note Billing, records, appointment scheduling and other systems at Lurie Children’s Hospital were still offline a week after representatives of had to cancel a planned OR Business Management Conference presentation due to a cyberattack. According to a February 12 report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the January 31 cyberattack is…

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Editor's Note:  In a sophisticated new scheme, hackers are stealing the identity of hospital employees in financial roles—such as revenue cycle employees—and then reaching out to the hospitals’ IT help desk in order to reset passwords, receive access codes, and redirect funds.  The American Hospital Association (AHA) sent out an…

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Editor's Note A near doubling of ransomware attacks on healthcare systems from 2022 to 2023 could point to a problematic trend, according to a January 2 report from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. Specifically, findings show 46 ransomware attacks in 2023 compared to 25 in 2022 and 27 in 2021. The 2023…

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Editor's Note The FBI has infiltrated the ransomware group BlackCat—the group responsible for a February cyberattack on the Lehigh Valley Health Network—and issued a decryption tool enabling victims around the world to restore their systems, according to a December 19 Justice Department press release.   Emerging during the past 18…

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Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new concept paper on the department’s strategy regarding cybersecurity for the healthcare sector, a December 6 HHS press release reports. The paper details four pillars for action:  publishing new voluntary healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals working with Congress…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) November 6 is alerting healthcare institutions to a new ransomware known as BlackSuit, which is likely to pose a serious threat to the healthcare and public health sectors.  According to AHA: BlackSuit is very similar to the Royal ransomware family, which followed the…

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Editor's Note A number of prominent hospital associations have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over guidance that seeks to prohibit them from using tracking tools to monitor visitors on their websites, the American Hospital Association (AHA) November 2 reports. A few highlights of…

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Editor's Note The United States, in coordination with the United Kingdom, has imposed sanctions on 11 individuals linked to the Russia-based cybercrime group known as Trickbot, a US Department of the Treasury September 7 press release reports. These sanctions were issued by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of…

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Editor's Note The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced that it is seeking proposals through September 7 to help fund and develop cybersecurity technologies for healthcare systems, clinics, and healthcare-related devices,  the August 17 WIRED reports. The Digital Health Security…

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