What do ransomware, Yelp, and website tracking technologies all have in common? They are troubling areas of concern for HIPAA covered entities and business associates, according to one official from the federal Office for Civil Rights (OCR) which enforces the HIPAA privacy and security rules. Recently, the Executive Editor of Information Security Media Group’s (ISMG’s)
cybersecurity
Hospital Mergers Double the Risk of a Data Breach, Study Shows
The healthcare sector is a prime target for data breaches. According to a summary by the HIPAA Journal, 32% of all data breaches between 2015 and 2022 were in the healthcare sector, “almost double the number recorded in the financial and manufacturing sectors.” Industry analysts cite to many reasons for this, including the sensitivity…
Seven Things Healthcare Employers Should Expect in 2023
As we leave 2022 behind us, here are seven things healthcare employers should watch for in 2023.
- Medical Residents and Interns Unionizing. Yes, you read that right. 2022 saw organizing among these groups on both coasts. This is happening as we see a resurgence in organizing among graduate students and even undergraduate student
OCR Reminds Healthcare Providers and Their Business Associates – You Need an Incident Response Plan!
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month, and the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has provided a timely reminder for HIPAA covered entities and business associates to have a written incident response plan! To learn why another policy is needed, what an incident response plan needs to include, and the reporting obligations, read the…
Healthcare Companies Seek to Manage Risk of Ransomware Attacks, According to Report
Healthcare companies continue to face increased risks of ransomware attacks on their operations. According to the recently released BD Cybersecurity Annual Report for 2021, such attacks are also increasingly sophisticated. Management can take important steps to minimize the risks of this form of cybercrime.
Ransomware
Ransomware is malware that encrypts files on a device,…
FDA Names First Acting Director of Medical Device Cybersecurity
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named University of Michigan Associate Professor Kevin Fu Acting Director of Medical Device Security in its Center for Devices and Radiological Health. This is a newly created 12-month post in which Fu will “work to bridge the gap between medicine and computer science and help manufacturers protect…
Federal Agencies Issue Joint Alert on Imminent Cybercrime Threat to Healthcare Providers
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory stating they have credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.
The advisory describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures…
Legislators and Regulators Weigh in On Privacy and Data Security Protections for Healthcare Providers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
As they work to combat the surging COVID-19 virus, healthcare providers recently were reminded by legislators and regulators of the importance of data security and privacy protections. Read more here.
OCR Recognizes Insider Threats to HIPAA PHI, You Should Too
As we have observed here, news reports of security risks, hackings and breaches caused by individuals, terror groups or even countries around the world certainly are important and can be unsettling. But, for many organizations, including healthcare providers and business associates, a significant and perhaps more immediate area of data risk is malicious insiders.…
Healthcare Organizations, Is Your Patient Portal Secure?
While healthcare organizations are embracing new technologies such as patient portals, a recent report shows that organizations’ cybersecurity measures for these technologies are behind the times. A patient portal is a secure online website that allows patients to access their Electronic Health Record from any device with an Internet connection. Many patient portals also allow…