Why Healthcare Security Matters

guest · May 7, 2019

Protech Home Medical Corp Disclosure Regarding Cyberscam Incident
May 7, 2019
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/protech-home-medical-corp-disclosure-220000798.html

Protech Home Medical Corp. (“Protech” or the “Company”) (TSXV: ‎PTQ), a healthcare services company with operations in the United States, has been subject to a ‎cyberscam breach of its email system.‎

The unlawful intrusion into one employee’s account, discovered on May 3, 2019, led to fraudulent ‎banking information being relayed regarding a planned wire transfer of CAD $9.2 million toward the ‎redemption of the Company’s 7.5% non-convertible unsecured subordinated debentures issued in ‎August 2014 (the “Debentures”). ‎
The Company is working with authorities to support their investigations and is ‎making all attempts to recover the funds. ‎
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ronjor · May 8, 2019

Ford is taking its GoRide patient transport service nationwide

Mariella Moon, @mariella_moon 08 May 2019
The automaker will start with more Ohio cities and Miami, Florida.
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ronjor · May 8, 2019

I ditched Walgreens for this pharmacy app, here's why
Pharmacy apps sketched me out, until I tried one.

By Sarah Mitroff May 8, 2019
Buying prescription drugs online doesn't have a good reputation. In fact, online pharmacies have raised safety concerns for as long as they've been around. So imagine my hesitation when a new dermatologist referred me to Alto, a pharmacy app that delivers drugs to my front door.
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ronjor · May 8, 2019

New York Diagnostic Testing Facility Owners Plead Guilty in More than $18.5 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Two New York diagnostic testing facility owners pleaded guilty today for their roles in a more than $18.5 million health care fraud scheme.
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ronjor · May 9, 2019

Health Data Breach Tally Update: What's Been Added?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) May 9, 2019
Business Associate Reports Ransomware Attack; Hacks Still Biggest Cause of Breaches
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guest · May 10, 2019

Memorial Hermann worker accused of stealing patients' credit card numbers to pay rent
May 1, 2019
https://www.click2houston.com/news/...used-of-stealing-patients-credit-card-numbers

He’s accused of stealing patients information to pay for rent, buy food and purchase rides to work.
According to Harris County court records, 26-year-old Elliott Phylow admitted to Harris County Precinct Four constables that he used credit card information from patients who went to Memorial Hermann Hospital for care.

A patient told authorities he did not authorize payment to an apartment complex in Spring in February for $1,292.56 and again in April for $1,234.37. It’s the same complex where Phylow reportedly lives.
“We immediately suspended the employee and started an investigation. As always, we will cooperate fully with law enforcement efforts. Protecting the privacy and safety of patients is a top priority and a responsibility we take very seriously,” the statement read.
[7quote]
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guest · May 11, 2019

Independent Health mistakenly emailed information on 7,600 members
May 10, 2019
https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo...nt-health-mistakenly-emailed-information.html

Protected health information on more than 7,600 Independent Health members was accidentally emailed to a member in March, a breach that violates federal privacy laws.

The email attachment included member names, Independent Health ID numbers, name of provider seen, dates of service, claim numbers, claim payment information and medical procedure codes. But Sava said the company believes the risk of identity theft is low, as the email did not included Social Security numbers, personal financial data or diagnosis codes.

He also stressed there was no outside security breach with the company’s systems. In past years, several local health care organizations have reported security breach incidents tied to unauthorized access and hacking.
“Because there was no personal financial information or Social Security numbers disclosed, we believe the risk of identity theft is low,” he said.
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guest · May 14, 2019

Phishing Email Leads to Oregon State Hospital Data Breach
May 13, 2019
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...il-leads-to-oregon-state-hospital-data-breach

Officials say patients' health information may have been compromised after a phishing email was sent to an Oregon State Hospital employee earlier this month.

The Statesman Journal reports Oregon Health Authority officials said patient information was exposed after the employee opened the message on May 6. The information included first and last names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, diagnoses and treatment care plans.
Officials can't confirm, however, if the information was copied.
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ronjor · May 15, 2019

71% of medical devices still run on Windows 7, Windows 2008, and Windows mobile

By Alison DeNisco Rayome May 15, 2019
Medical IoT devices carry significant cybersecurity risks, according to a Forescout report.
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guest · May 15, 2019

President of Healthcare Organization Describes the Aftermath and the Lessons Learned
May 15, 2019
https://www.inforisktoday.com/blogs/ransomware-victim-shares-his-story-p-2744

Jack Malone, president and executive director of the Southeastern Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., shared with me some insights on the many headaches involved in the aftermath of such an incident - and important lessons to learn.

SCADD discovered on Feb. 18 that it was a victim of ransomware. Malone suspects the attackers got into the organization's network right before that when SCADD "opened a portal to a server" to allow federal auditors to conduct a required financial audit. "That audit took two days, and the attacker probably snuck in then," he says.
The bulk of patient records potentially compromised in the attack were part of about seven years' worth of information that SCADD has to hold onto for regulatory purposes, he says.
Costly Attack
Still, government regulations require that SCADD make the effort to notify each impacted individual.
In addition to confirming the value of cyber insurance, what's the other big lesson learned from this attack?

"Lock your 'doors.' We had security in place, but the door got slightly open for a tiny period of time, and these attackers found a way in. They're always looking for a way in," he says.
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guest · May 15, 2019

Australians’ Medicare details illegally sold on darknet – two years after breach exposed
Medicare Madness listing suggests details ‘of any living Australian citizen’ have been available since September 2018
May 15, 2019
https://www.theguardian.com/austral...old-on-darknet-two-years-after-breach-exposed

Australians’ Medicare details are still being illegally offered for sale on the darknet, almost two years after Guardian Australia revealed the serious privacy breach.

Screenshots of the Empire Market, provided to Guardian Australia, show the vendor Medicare Machine has rebranded as Medicare Madness, offering Medicare details for $US21.
Other vendors charge up to $US340 by offering fake Medicare cards alongside other fake forms of identification – such as a New South Wales licence.

The Department of Human Services said there is “no current evidence of a data breach” but refused to give further detail, citing a referral to the Australian Federal Police in 2017.
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guest · May 16, 2019

Red Cross website hacked in latest Singapore cyber attack
May 16, 2019
https://phys.org/news/2019-05-red-website-hacked-latest-singapore.html

The Singapore Red Cross said Thursday its website had been hacked and the personal data of more than 4,000 potential blood donors compromised in the latest cyber attack on the city-state.

"SRC takes this incident seriously," the organisation said, adding that "external consultants" are helping in the probe.
Preliminary findings showed that a "weak administrator password" may have made the site vulnerable.

Cybersecurity experts have pointed out that health data is particularly vulnerable because it can be used to blackmail people in positions of power.
Scott Robertson, vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan for cybersecurity firm Zscaler, said the Red Cross breach "underscores that cybersecurity is a business problem that has to be supported by technology".
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ronjor · May 17, 2019

Top Cybersecurity Challenges in the Healthcare Industry

May 17, 2019
Ninety-two percent of healthcare organizations are confident in their ability to respond to cyber attacks, compared to 82 percent two years ago, according to the Cybersecurity in Healthcare report.
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guest · May 17, 2019

Should APTs be a concern for the healthcare sector?
May 16, 2019
https://www.comparethecloud.net/articles/should-apts-be-a-concern-for-the-healthcare-sector/

On top of the reliable growth of data that existing patients provide, new patients guarantee a new source of information that attackers can sell on the dark web. No healthcare provider is safe from these attacks.
Why do attackers target healthcare?
Whilst the healthcare industry is ripe for APT attacks, APT should be on the radar of IT leaders in all sectors. [...] the mean value of healthcare records however, is $250.15, and this is what makes the healthcare industry a lucrative target.
Another reason that attackers are seemingly drawn to the healthcare industry is that it is still reliant on equipment that runs on legacy software, most notably, unpatched versions of Windows XP.

To avoid repeating past mistakes, the healthcare industry needs to deploy defensive measures across the board.
Training the entire organisation is a great start for healthcare, as human error permits many successful attacks across all industries through advanced phishing efforts.
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ronjor · May 18, 2019

Express Scripts plans formulary for apps, medical devices

By Rebecca Pifer Published May 17, 2019
Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts is launching a digital health formulary next year: a list of digital health tools, including smartphone apps and software-enabled medical devices, to help patients manage their health. Express Scripts clients will still be able to choose which digital tools they provide for their members.
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ronjor · May 21, 2019

FDA safety scandal: 50K hidden reports of heart device malfunctioning

Beth Mole - 5/21/2019
Since news of the scandal broke, the FDA says it will shut down the reporting system.
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guest · May 21, 2019

Is Healthcare Sector Better Prepared for Ransomware Attacks?
Several Organizations Have Avoided Paying Ransoms, Thanks to Backup Plans
May 21, 2019
https://www.databreachtoday.com/healthcare-sector-better-prepared-for-ransomware-attacks-a-12506

Several recently reported breaches involving ransomware attacks in which organizations recovered without paying a ransom to extortionists offer a glimmer of hope that healthcare entities are getting better prepared to deal with such incidents.
Rising Attacks
The healthcare sector - like many industries - has been dealing with a rise in ransomware attacks over the last few years.
The recently issued 2019 Verizon Breach Investigations Report says that for the second straight year, ransomware attacks accounted for over 70 percent of all malware incidents in the healthcare sector.

Recent news that more healthcare entities have been able to recover from these incidents without having to resort to paying ransoms, however, shows that organizations apparently are becoming more vigilant about having back-ups ready in case of disaster.
Emerging Worry
While healthcare entities try to do a better job in dodging and responding to ransomware and other attacks, the cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, Johnson warns.
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ronjor · May 22, 2019

Misconfigured IT (Again) Leads to Big Health Data Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) May 22, 2019
Did Company Also Bungle Notification for Some Victims Impacted?
An all-too-common type of data security mistake - a misconfigured IT setting - has landed a Puerto Rico-based clearinghouse and cloud software services provider at the top of federal regulators' list of largest health data breaches so far this year, in an incident impacting nearly 1.6 million individuals.
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ronjor · May 24, 2019

Medicare Fraud Conspiracy Included HIPAA Violations

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) May 24, 2019
Three Sentenced to Prison for Scheme That Targeted Seniors
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ronjor · May 24, 2019

Poorly designed systems make doctors 'a slave to their EHR'

By Lucas Mearian Senior Reporter, Computerworld | May 22, 2019
Problems with clunky electronic health record workflows – and the inability to share patient information between clinics – are driving some physicians right out of healthcare. But some facilities have figured out how to make things work more smoothly.
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ronjor · May 25, 2019

United States Files False Claims Act Complaint Against Home Health Agency and Two of Its Owners Friday, May 24, 2019

The United States has filed a complaint in intervention against Doctor’s Choice Home Care Inc (Doctor’s Choice), Timothy Beach, and Stuart Christensen alleging False Claims Act violations arising from the alleged payment of kickbacks in the form of sham medical director agreements and payments to the spouses of referring physicians, the Department of Justice today announced. Doctor’s Choice is a home health agency based in Sarasota, Florida. Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen are partial owners of Doctor’s Choice.
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guest · May 27, 2019

Security by Sector: Digital Transformation in the Healthcare System
May 27,2019
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/security-by-sector-healthcare-nhs-1/

The healthcare industry clearly faces significant challenges, difficulties and risks in its information security strategies, mostly due to its dependence on an extremely high number of vulnerable legacy IT systems that are still widely used, not to mention tight budgets and immense workforce numbers.

OpenText obtained data from a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, issued to 74 NHS Trusts across the UK, with 52 responding, discovering that just 12% of responding Trust are fully digitized, with only 37% stating that more than half of their patient records are in digital format.
That’s despite the Government’s plans for a paperless NHS by 2020 to address the healthcare system’s lack of interoperability

By going digital, the NHS will have the opportunity to ease the burden of managing complex interactions and data flows between trusts, systems and individuals, improving the quality of patient care and healthcare outcomes in the UK.
On the other hand, the issue opens up a whole host of data security and privacy risks. The digital transformation of the healthcare sector will pose a significant challenge [...]
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guest · May 28, 2019

Siemens Healthineers medical products vulnerable to Windows BlueKeep flaw
May 28, 2019
https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/86222/security/siemens-healthineers-bluekeep.html

After the release of security updates for the BlueKeep, Siemens started assessing its Healthineers products. Now Siemens has published six security advisories to warn its customers of potential risks,

“Some Siemens Healthineers software products are affected by this vulnerability.” reads an advisory published by Siemens. “The exploitability of the vulnerability depends on the specific configuration and deployment environment of each product. Siemens Healthineers recommends installing the appropriate security patches released by Microsoft.”
The company pointed out that it cannot guarantee the compatibility of Microsoft security patches with products from Siemens Healthineers that are beyond their End of Support.
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guest · May 28, 2019

Federal regulators have issued new guidance clarifying when a business associate can be held directly liable for compliance with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach notification rules.
May 28, 2019
https://www.inforisktoday.com/business-associates-reminded-hipaa-duties-a-12528

Federal regulators have issued new guidance clarifying when a business associate can be held directly liable for compliance with the HIPAA privacy, security and breach notification rules.

Because of confusion about the issue, OCR has issued a fact sheet and a compilation of frequently asked questions about the HIPAA compliance requirements for business associates.

"We want to make it as easy as possible for regulated entities to understand, and comply with, their obligations under the law," says OCR Director Roger Severino.
BA Breaches
Business associates have been involved in many of the largest health data breaches, including several large breaches posted to the HHS HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website so far in 2019.
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guest · May 29, 2019

Victoria's public health system 'highly vulnerable' to Singapore-like data breach
Four health services audited, all four exploited
May 29, 2019
https://www.itnews.com.au/news/vic-...lnerable-to-singapore-like-data-breach-525864

An auditor-general report released Wednesday exposed widespread security weaknesses and vulnerabilities that it said left patient data at risk.
“Victoria’s public health system is highly vulnerable to the kind of cyberattacks recently experienced by the National Health Service (NHS) in England, in Singapore, and at a Melbourne‐based cardiology provider, which resulted in stolen or unusable patient data and disrupted hospital services,” the auditor-general said in its report. [pdf]

The audit covered Barwon Health, the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and two different areas of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
In all four agencies, the auditor-general’s team was able to exploit weaknesses and access patient data.
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Report: Security of Patients’ Hospital Data May 2019 (PDF): https://www.audit.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-05/29052019-Hospital-Data-Security.pdf

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