Jessica Davis

The embattled company is hoping to prove its innocence and regain the trust lost by continued reports that the company may have ties to Russia.

The computer network of Pinehurst-based FirstHealth of the Carolinas was shut down by a new form of WannaCry last week. The health system detected the virus on Tuesday afternoon, and the organization took its system offline while it attempted to remove the malware from its system, according to FirstHealth’s alert. FirstHealth’s staff initiated its downtime procedures at that time. [Also: WannaCry victim NHS Lanarkshire hit by new ransomware strain] The site has not yet been updated with its current status, but officials said it will remain offline out of an abundance of caution to make sure all devices and its system are clear of the threat. The organization developed an antivirus patch specifically for the WannaCry virus, which it's implementing across the entire network. FirstHealth will provide the tool for other healthcare organizations to use. [Also: The biggest healthcare breaches of 2017 (so far)] “As a result of the quick response by the information system security team, the virus did not reach any patient information, operational information or databases,” officials said. “Patient information has not been compromised.  At this time, it appears that no damage has occurred to the network or devices. “We are experiencing some delays and appointment cancellations as a result of the downtime event,” officials continued. “This does not apply to critical and emergent needs. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.” WannaCry first struck in May, devastating organizations around the globe, including the UK’s National Health Service. The ransomware strain was part of April’s massive NSA leak from the cybercriminal group the Shadow Brokers. Although a kill switch was found for the virus a day later, it merely slowed down the attack. Overall, 300,000 users from 150 countries fell victim to the virus. Twitter: @JessieFDavis Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com

In response to the influx of data breaches caused by misconfigured cloud databases, the security firm has developed a tool that will let administrators check if their bucket is inadvertently being shared with the public.

Healthcare organizations should break down data into smaller sets that can be used to build into larger programs, experts say.

The case was dismissed based on jurisdiction, but the VA and Cerner both say CliniComp has not shown why the VA’s decision is illegal or unjustified.

As the number of connected devices is projected to grow to 20 to 50 billion by 2020, the FBI says the threat of DDoS attacks launched by leveraging flaws in IoT devices is not going away anytime soon.

Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Greg Walden is hoping Nuance’s experience falling victim to the global cyberattack in June can provide valuable insights for other organizations.

The notorious hacker is targeting Austin Manual Therapy Associates in its latest extortion attempt, claiming it holds the PHI of patients -- including insurance authorization data.

Nearly 500,000 patient records were reported breached in September, according to the latest Protenus Breach Barometer.

The bill - written by the VA and proposed to Congress - would expand care access for veterans and make it legally easier to share patient records between the VA and outside providers.