Security News
Victim losses from healthcare related eCrime in the U.S. rose by 2,473 percent during 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the nation and world, CrowdStrike reveals. Healthcare eCrime describes a scheme attempting to defraud private or government healthcare programs, affecting healthcare providers, companies, or individuals.
The FBI says it has observed 16 Conti ransomware attacks that targeted healthcare and first responder networks in the United States over the past year. First detailed in July 2020, Conti has grown to become a major threat, with more than 400 organizations worldwide being hit by the ransomware to date.
The attacks have targeted US healthcare and first responder networks with ransom demands as high as $25 million, says the FBI. Healthcare and first responder networks should be on guard for a continuing series of ransomware attacks uncovered by the FBI. In an alert published last Thursday, the agency said that it found at least 16 Conti ransomware attacks against law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, 911 dispatch centers and municipalities within the past year. More specifically, Conti attacks typically steal network access through malicious email links and attachments or hijacked Remote Desktop Protocol credentials.
This week's ransomware news has been dominated by the attack on Ireland's Health Service Executive that has severely disrupted Ireland's healthcare system. The attack was conducted by the Conti ransomware operation who encrypted devices and caused the HSE to disconnect portions of its IT systems to prevent further spread of the attack.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the Conti ransomware gang has attempted to breach the networks of over a dozen U.S. healthcare and first responder organizations. "The FBI identified at least 16 Conti ransomware attacks targeting U.S. healthcare and first responder networks, including law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, 9-1-1 dispatch centers, and municipalities within the last year," the FBI Cyber Division said.
Healthcare IoT cybersecurity and asset management solutions provider Cynerio this week announced closing a $30 million Series B funding round. Cynerio was founded in 2017 and it has offices in Israel and New York.
When attacking the healthcare industry, hackers are going beyond focusing on data exfiltration or leaking patient records. The focus is to totally disrupt health systems operations with ransomware that locks up electronic health records and the IT infrastructure.
CynergisTek announced an agreement to provide advisory support services to Blackbaud to support its healthcare customers with HIPAA compliance needs. "We are committed to helping social good organizations succeed in their missions by providing innovative and secure technology," said Page Bullington, president and general manager, Blackbaud Healthcare Solutions.
Ireland's Health Service Executive, the country's publicly funded healthcare system, has shut down all IT systems after its network was breached in a ransomware attack. A sample of the ransomware used in the HSE attack and shared with BleepingComputer appends the.
Ireland's Health Service Executive, the country's publicly funded healthcare system, has shut down all IT systems after its network was breached in a ransomware attack. A sample of the ransomware used in the HSE attack and shared with BleepingComputer appends the.