Privacy & Security

The National Security Agency said that tactics, techniques and targets of the massive ransowmare assault point to North Korea’s spy agency: the Reconnaissance General Bureau

About 15 percent of healthcare organizations are running on outdated systems or browsers, while 160 million computers, IoT devices and servers still have open ports, studies found.

Device cybersecurity, cyber-hygiene and risk management can ensure attackers are repelled by your systems.

Memories of the May WannaCry attacks have started to fade but the threat to healthcare systems is not going away. In fact, while the risk has been seen mostly in IT administrative systems and EHRs, many believe that the threat to medical devices is even greater. The growth of IoT systems throughout the healthcare landscape is one reason for this change in the landscape. Security is not always built into medical devices. A recent TrendMicro report found more than 36,000 healthcare devices were easily discoverable using Shodan, the public able search engine available for discovering Internet-connected devices. A strong defense will require more than simply maintaining a firewall and keeping software security patches up to date. [Also: Webinar: Preventing and dealing with ransomware attacks] Kevin Johnson, a noted ethical hacker and president of Secure Ideas, says “it is critical that organizations understand how these attacks work.” Johnson will be speaking on Thursday, June 15 in the HIMSS Learning Center, explaining how hackers are approaching their targets in order to give healthcare IT managers more ammunition in their defensive strategies. [Also: Unsecured medical devices: Healthcare's new warning call] “Once the [hacker view] is understood, “ Johnson said, “then the detection and prevention becomes part of the normal operations. “ In his presentation, "Preventing and Dealing with Ransomware Attacks: How to Keep Your Data Safe," Johnson will describe how common attacks are developed and demonstrate the issues they create. The session will be recorded and will be available for listening on demand at the HIMSS Learning Center.

Hospitals not already using modern tools for two-factor authentication, such as facial recognition and push notifications, should take note of how they can block malware and other common cyberthreats.

Privacy protections, fraud guidelines and issues with discrimination need to be addressed before widespread adoption, expert says.

CIOs and CISOs must consider IP address probing, spear-phishing, untrained developers and more when securing cloud assets because health data needs to be at least as secure as physical assets.

As cyberthreats increase, the emerging role helps hospitals fill in key security roles to bolster policies and provide necessary experience.

Innovative notices help technology developers clearly communicate their policies to consumers.

The actor stars in The Wolf, a series of videos from HP that focus on IT security.