According to a RiskBasedSecurity report, 2019 saw approximately 7.9 to 8.5 billion records compromised. To put that in perspective, the world population is currently 7.5 billion. Despite the numerous small breaches throughout 2019, the majority of these records were compromised by a few large breaches and subsequent chain reaction minor breaches.
A little over ten years ago, in 2008, less than half of healthcare organizations used electronic health records (EHRs). Now, thanks to the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), it’s more surprising when an office-based physician does not have EHRs. While the adoption of electronic health records was necessary for American healthcare to keep up with the rest of the world and the rapidly changing technological landscape, it didn’t come without its downsides.
The number of security breaches has been rising steadily since the HITECH Act instituted harsher penalties for noncompliance with EHRs. In 2010, the number of data breaches in the healthcare industry topped that of the last six years combined. Whereas the healthcare industry chalked that up to the rapid adoption of EHRs, it’s clear now that wasn’t the whole story. With the latest data from 2018, we see that the reported incidents have still been increasing.
With the use of electronics and digital technology from smartphones to computers, cloud technology to metadata, the cybersecurity risks have never been higher. To know if your electronic personal health information (e-PHI) is safe and to learn about the top breaches in healthcare security, read on.
The legal marijuana industry is expected to grow exponentially over the next few years. This is spurred not only by the legalization of recreational marijuana in many states in the US as well as in countries like Canada, but also the growing adoption of cannabis as a pharmaceutical product.
According to the State of the Legal Cannabis Markets report from BDS Analytics and Arcview Market Research, legal pot sales will hit $40.6 billion in 2024. This represents a 24.5 percent growth over the period 2018 to 2024.
The burgeoning cannabis retail industry is, therefore, a prime target for cybercriminals who look to steal valuable and sensitive information ranging from credit card information, trade secrets, and personally identifiable information (PII).
Aside from the consumer information they store and manage, online cannabis retailers are being targeted because many of them have yet to incorporate cybersecurity practices. Small to medium-sized online marijuana retailers are also highly vulnerable to cyberattacks because they normally don’t have the resources to hire an IT staff who can implement security measures to mitigate cybersecurity risks.
Cybercrime today represents a threat with a scale and persistence that hasnt been encountered before. Despite the widespread threat of cybercrime, many people and businesses remain ignorant of the true risks they face and what they can do to combat them. Gaining a greater understanding of the types of cyber crimes can help one understand the importance of cyber security for their business.
Last week, the Colorado Department of Transportation was hit with the SamSam ransomware forcing it to shut down 2000 computers across its system. Believed to be a new variant of the previous SamSam ransomware, according to Talos Intelligence at Cisco, this ransomware has been observed across multiple industries including Government, Healthcare and ICS. These attacks do not appear to be highly targeted, and appear to be more opportunistic in nature. As we all know these ransomware can cripple critical systems such as those in the healthcare services impacting patients across the world.
Indias City Union Bank, a small private lender, said on Feb 18, 2018 that cyber criminals had hacked its systems and transferred nearly $2 million through three unauthorized remittances to lenders overseas via the SWIFT financial platform. Chief Executive Officer N. Kamakodi called it a conspiracy involving multiple countries, and added the lender was still investigating how it had happened. The bank had discovered the three fraudulent remittances, which were sent via correspondent banks to accounts in Dubai, Turkey and China.
A cyberattack paralyzed internet networks at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Several U.S. cybersecurity firms have uncovered a computer virus named Olympic Destroyer that was likely used in an attack.
Following up on our recent alert regarding the Meltdown and Spectre security flaws, RSI now provides subsequent information and recommendations to our clients and all organizations needing to adhere to PCI compliance requirements.
Bottom Line:
Researchers recently discovered two design flaws in nearly all CPUs manufactured by Intel, AMD, and ARM since 1995 that bypass system protections and potentially allow attackers to steal sensitive information from the memory of running applications. Sensitive data such as passwords, browser cookies, emails, photos, documents, etc. contained in devices (PCs, servers, iphones, ipads) that use those CPUs are all potentially at risk.
A first of its kind survey just released by the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed that a staggering 83% of US physicians have been the target of cyberattacks. The majority of the 1,300 physicians surveyed in the Dec 2017 AMA report also cited dissatisfaction with the level of support coming from the federal government to counter cyber threats to their business and patient privacy.
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