Bolstering the cybersecurity of the healthcare sector
The Commission has presented an EU Action Plan to strengthen the cybersecurity of hospitals and healthcare providers. This initiative is a key priority within the first 100 days of the new mandate, aiming to create a safer and more secure environment for patients. In 2023 alone, EU countries reported 309 significant cybersecurity incidents targeting the healthcare sector – more than any other critical sector. As healthcare providers increasingly use digital health records, the risk of data-related threats continues to rise. Many systems can be affected, including electronic health records, hospital workflow systems, and medical devices. Such threats can compromise patient care and even put lives at risk.
Ascension: Health data of 5.6 million stolen in ransomware attack
Ascension, one of the largest private U.S. healthcare systems, is notifying over 5.6 million patients and employees that their personal and health data was stolen in a May cyberattack linked to the Black Basta ransomware operation.
ConnectOnCall.com, LLC Provides Notice of Data Security Incident
ConnectOnCall.com, LLC provides a product (“ConnectOnCall”) that healthcare providers purchase to improve their after-hours call process and enhance communications between the providers and their patients. ConnectOnCall discovered an incident that involved personal information related to communications between patients and healthcare providers that use ConnectOnCall. On May 12, 2024, ConnectOnCall learned of an issue impacting ConnectOnCall and immediately began an investigation and took steps to secure the product and ensure the overall security of its environment. ConnectOnCall’s investigation revealed that between February 16, 2024, and May 12, 2024, an unknown third party had access to ConnectOnCall and certain data within the application, including certain information in provider-patient communications.
UK hospital network postpones procedures after cyberattack
Major UK healthcare provider Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH), part of the NHS Foundation Trust, has suffered a cyberattack that caused a systems outage leading to postponing appointments and scheduled procedures.
Change Healthcare says 100 million people impacted by February ransomware attack
Change Healthcare updated filings with the federal government to warn that about 100 million people had information accessed by hackers during a ransomware attack in February. The Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) Office for Civil Rights said Change Healthcare notified them on October 22 that “approximately 100 million individual notices have been sent regarding this breach.”
Crucial Texas hospital system turning ambulances away after ransomware attack
One of the largest hospitals in West Texas has been forced to divert ambulances after a ransomware attack shut down many of its systems last Thursday. The University Medical Center Health System in Lubbock confirmed on Friday that IT outages are being caused by a ransomware incident.
Cyberattack hits blood-donation nonprofit OneBlood
A cyberattack has hit a blood-donation nonprofit that serves hundreds of hospitals in the southeastern US. The hack, which was first reported by CNN, has raised concerns about potential impacts on OneBlood’s service to some hospitals, multiple sources familiar with the matter said, and the incident is being investigated as a potential ransomware attack.
Change Healthcare ransomware attack disrupting industry nationwide
The reports keep coming in from across the country on how the Change Healthcare ransomware attack that first came to light on Feb. 21 has been impacting the healthcare sector. The case has been called the most severe cyberattack on the healthcare sector in history and has had a great impact since Change Healthcare, owned by UnitedHealth Group, processes 15 billion healthcare transactions annually, affecting 1 in 3 patient records.
Developing: AlphV allegedly scammed Change Healthcare and its own affiliate (1)
Developing: Someone claiming to be an “affiliate plus” for AlphV claims they were responsible for the Change Healthcare attack but that AlphV stole the payment Change Healthcare had made and suspended the affiliate’s account. The affiliate’s claims appeared on Ramp Forum and have been circulating since then. The post can be seen below, via @vx-underground:
BlackCat ransomware turns off servers amid claim they stole $22 million ransom
The ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware gang has shut down its servers amid claims that they scammed the affiliate responsible for the attack on Optum, the operator of the Change Healthcare platform, of $22 million.
Lockbit ransomware disrupts emergency care at German hospitals
German hospital network Katholische Hospitalvereinigung Ostwestfalen (KHO) has confirmed that recent service disruptions were caused by a Lockbit ransomware attack where the threat actors gained access to IT systems and encrypted devices on the network.
Medical Transcription Service Data Breach Impacts Multiple Health Systems
Northwell Health and Cook County Health both notified patients of a third-party data breach that originated at Perry Johnson & Associates, a medical transcription vendor. The HHS data breach portal now shows that the Perry Johnson & Associates data breach impacted nearly 9 million individuals, making it one of the largest reported healthcare data breaches this year.
