Reasons for ransomware attacks on hospitals identified

Healthcare facilities are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals because of the urgency to act quickly. Data loss and human life loss can both occur if the hospital is down. As a result, health care facilities are more likely to pay the ransom. The rise of cryptocurrencies also plays a role. Online wallets have made it easier for hackers to get paid online without discovering where the money goes. Connectivity within healthcare institutions also plays a role. Health care institutions must have access to patient files on every computer. It is much more likely that an error will occur because all these computers are connected. The chances are good that cyber criminals will infect all computers if they break into one.

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Healthcare IT experts find 3 ways to fight ransomware

By ensuring vulnerability management, focusing on remediation, and learning from other victims, organizations can minimize their chances of becoming repeat victims of healthcare ransomware attacks, Health IT Security reports. A ransomware attack on healthcare can disrupt EHRs, cause data encryption, divert ambulances, and cause other disruptions. After an attack, healthcare organizations must work quickly to restore critical operations and ensure patient safety. Despite a comprehensive incident response plan, organizations may overlook critical considerations during the rapid response and recovery process, making them vulnerable to future attacks. A 2022 study by Cybereason found that organizations that pay the ransom are more likely to be victimized again in the future. Surveyed cybersecurity professionals from diverse sectors (including healthcare) were hit again for a higher ransom less than a month after paying the ransom. Even though risk cannot be eliminated, organizations can reduce the likelihood that they will fall victim to repeat healthcare ransomware attacks. This is done by ensuring that they have a thorough vulnerability management process, learning from other healthcare organizations, and remediating properly the first time around. According to a Sophos report from August 2022, more organizations in a variety of industries have been attacked multiple times within a few hours, days, weeks, or months. According to Sophos, most of these incidents were caused by exploitable vulnerabilities and misconfigurations left by earlier attackers.  “If you get hit, make sure you fully remediate,” Erick Galinkin, principal researcher at Rapid7, said in an interview with Health IT Security. “Getting back to working order is all well and good, but if you are already having downtime because of a successful attack, adding a couple of minutes or hours to that downtime to make sure it doesn’t happen again is a worthwhile investment.”

White House Sets Sights on New Healthcare Cybersecurity Standards

A recent Washington Post event featured Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology in the Biden Administration. According to Neuberger, the White House will focus on cybersecurity in three areas over the next year: healthcare, water, and communications. In comparison to peer countries, the US is “pretty much last in the race” when it comes to putting in place minimum security standards for critical infrastructure. By establishing minimum cyber regulatory frameworks for critical infrastructure, the US will at the very least be able to learn from other countries. HHS is “beginning to work with partners at hospitals to put in place minimum cybersecurity guidelines,” Neuberger explained. Further work is being done to secure “devices and broader healthcare” as well. The actions align with the executive order (EO 14028) issued by the administration in May 2021, which strived to increase cybersecurity in the nation through public-private partnerships, Health IT Security reports.

Microsoft Canada: Modern security for tomorrow’s healthcare

For healthcare organizations in particular, it can be difficult (link in French) to balance innovation with compliance requirements to protect patient information and confidential data. If the right technology is not applied, cyberattacks risk having a lasting effect and hampering the important work of our healthcare providers.

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Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.