Security News
Professional Finance Company, a Colorado-based debt collector whose customers include hundreds of US hospitals, medical clinics, and dental groups, recently disclosed that more than 1.9 million people's private data - including names, addresses, social security numbers and health records - was exposed during a ransomware infection. In a notice [PDF] posted on its website, PFC said it "Detected and stopped a sophisticated ransomware attack" on February 26 this year, during which criminals accessed files containing data from more than 650 healthcare providers [PDF].
Security vulnerabilities pose a risk to any organization, as attackers can take advantage of them to launch malware, infiltrate networks and compromise sensitive data. A recent report from security firm Cyber SecurityWorks looks at how security flaws can be weaponized to attack healthcare organizations.
Several federal agencies are warning healthcare organizations that they are under threat of attacks from North Korean state-sponsored actors employing a unique ransomware that targets files with surgical precision, according to U.S. federal authorities. Another characteristic of Maui that diverges from other ransomware is that it appears to be designed for manual execution by a threat actor, allowing its operators to "Specify which files to encrypt when executing it and then exfiltrate the resulting runtime artifacts," Cutler wrote.
Professional Finance Company Inc., a full-service accounts receivables management company, says that a ransomware attack in late February led to a data breach affecting over 600 healthcare organizations. While PFC did not share the exact number of affected healthcare providers, it linked to a PDF file listing all the impacted orgs containing the names of 657 healthcare entities.
The U.S. government is warning healthcare companies to watch for and protect themselves against ongoing ransomware attacks from cybercriminals sponsored by North Korea. In a joint advisory posted Wednesday, the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Department of the Treasury cautioned that these state-sponsored attackers have been using Maui ransomware to target hospitals, laboratories and other public and private healthcare organizations.
The U.S. government is warning healthcare companies to watch for and protect themselves against ongoing ransomware attacks from cybercriminals sponsored by North Korea. In a joint advisory posted Wednesday, the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Department of the Treasury cautioned that these state-sponsored attackers have been using Maui ransomware to target hospitals, laboratories and other public and private healthcare organizations.
A less known ransomware threat dubbed Maui has been and is likely to continue hitting healthcare organizations, a new CISA alert warns. In Maui ransomware incidents the FBI has responded since May 2021, the attackers primarily encrypted servers responsible for healthcare services.
In a new joint cybersecurity advisory, U.S. cybersecurity and intelligence agencies have warned about the use of Maui ransomware by North Korean government-backed hackers to target the healthcare sector since at least May 2021. "North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors used Maui ransomware in these incidents to encrypt servers responsible for healthcare services-including electronic health records services, diagnostics services, imaging services, and intranet services," the authorities noted.
The FBI, CISA, and the U.S. Treasury Department issued today a joint advisory warning of North-Korean-backed threat actors using Maui ransomware in attacks against Healthcare and Public Health organizations. Starting in May 2021, the FBI has responded to and detected multiple Maui ransomware attacks impacting HPH Sector orgs across the U.S. "North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors used Maui ransomware in these incidents to encrypt servers responsible for healthcare services-including electronic health records services, diagnostics services, imaging services, and intranet services," the federal agencies revealed.
In the last two years, COVID-19 has occupied healthcare providers' minds - rightfully so, considering the pandemic's tremendous toll on patients. Healthcare leaders, physicians, and other care providers need to look at cybersecurity risks through a new lens - patient health and safety.