Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Hackers Claim Drug Data Theft as Reports Warn Health Sector

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 6, 2022

Novartis says no sensitive information was compromised in an alleged attack involving the drugmaker's data showing up for sale on the dark web. The incident comes as new reports warn of a surge in cyberattacks on healthcare sector entities and the return of Emotet malware.

Feds Issue Alerts for Several Medical Device Security Flaws

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 3, 2022

Federal authorities have issued advisories about security vulnerabilities identified in several medical device products, including various Illumina Inc. genetic testing and sequencing devices and certain medication dispensing systems and microbiology software products from Becton, Dickinson & Co.

FBI: Hospital Averted 'Despicable' Iranian Cyberattack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 2, 2022

Boston Children's Hospital thwarted a cyberattack by government-backed Iranian hackers last summer after U.S. authorities received intelligence about the pending assault and alerted the hospital, says FBI Director Christopher Wray, who called Iran's planned cyberattack "despicable."

Costa Rican Health Agency Hit by Apparent Hive Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 1, 2022

Costa Rica's public health services agency was hit Tuesday by a ransomware attack allegedly launched by Hive. The incident comes after an April attack - reportedly by fellow Russian-backed group Conti - targeted multiple Costa Rican government agencies.

Where the Healthcare Sector Lags in Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 31, 2022

The healthcare sector is still behind many other critical infrastructure sectors in implementing critically important security technologies to protect against the rise in potentially devastating cyber incidents, says threat intelligence analyst Christiaan Beek of security firm Trellix.

Why FDA's Medical Device Cyber Recommendations 'Have Teeth'

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 27, 2022

The inclusion of a new secure product development framework for manufacturers is a most significant addition to recently updated federal draft guidance for the cybersecurity of premarket medical devices, says attorney Linda Malek of the law firm Moses & Singer LLP.

Feds Allege Former IT Consultant Hacked Healthcare Company

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 26, 2022

A former IT consultant has been charged with allegedly hacking into a computer server of a healthcare company client that had months earlier denied him employment with the organization. Experts say the case spotlights insider threats that must not be underestimated.

Developing Medical Device Cybersecurity Maturity Benchmarks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 25, 2022

An effort to establish industry benchmarks for medical device cybersecurity maturity aims to help advance overall cybersecurity in the healthcare sector, says Rob Suárez, CISO of medical device maker Becton, Dickinson and Co. He discusses how to improve the state of medical device cybersecurity.

3 Health Data Hacks Affect 1.4 Million Individuals

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 24, 2022

Hacking incidents recently reported as major breaches by three different types of health sector entities - a children's hospital, a managed care plan and a government contractor - have in total compromised the sensitive information of more than 1.4 million individuals.

Hospital Cyberattack Compromises Data From Decades Ago

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 23, 2022

A cyberattack detected in December at a Canadian healthcare entity has compromised a wide range of data, including some patient information dating back to 1996, as well as employee vaccination records from last year. Some of the affected data belonged to a nonprofit group of affiliated clinicians.

Feds Warn Health Sector of Top Russia-Backed APT Groups

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 20, 2022

Federal authorities are alerting healthcare sector entities of threats posed by Russian state-sponsored cyber groups, including some linked to attacks on pharmaceutical and related firms. Meanwhile, other ransomware gangs continue their assaults on a variety of U.S. medical facilities.

2 Health Plans Report Major Breaches Following Attacks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 19, 2022

Two recent apparent ransomware attacks on health plans have potentially affected hundreds of thousands of individuals. One of the incidents allegedly involved the Conti ransomware group, and the other allegedly involved Hive. One of the health plans is already facing legal fallout.

Victim List in EHR Vendor Hack Grows as New Details Emerge

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 18, 2022

The list of ophthalmology practices and the number of individuals affected by a December hacking incident at a cloud-based electronic health records vendor, which resulted in deleted databases, are growing as more details about the attack slowly emerge.

An Initiative to Enhance Patient ID, Record Matching

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 17, 2022

A new initiative aims to create a standards-based nationwide patient credential and matching ecosystem to ultimately improve matching patients with their electronic health information, says Scott Stuewe, CEO of DirectTrust, the nonprofit, vendor-neutral organization that is leading the effort.

AvosLocker Claims Data Theft From Another Healthcare Entity

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 16, 2022

In its most recent assault against a healthcare entity, ransomware-as-a-service operator AvosLocker claims to be behind an attack allegedly involving data theft from Texas-based CHRISTUS Health, which operates hundreds of healthcare facilities in the U.S., Mexico and South America.