Why Healthcare Security Matters

guest · Aug 10, 2021

Eskenazi Health remains on diversion days after ransomware attack
August 9, 2021
https://eu.indystar.com/story/news/...sion-days-after-ransomware-attack/5546251001/

Eskenazi Health remains on diversion for patients coming by ambulance nearly a week after an attempted ransomware attack that led the hospital to shut down its entire computer network.

While the hospital is accepting patients who come on their own to the emergency department and delivering babies, ambulances are still being asked to go elsewhere, hospital spokesman Todd Harper said.

“We’re making progress,” Harper said. “When this happened we shut down the whole network just for protection purposes and now we’re bringing things back.”
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guest · Aug 11, 2021

Data Breach at Georgia Health System
August 11, 2021
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/data-breach-at-georgia-health/

A health system in Georgia has begun notifying patients of a six-month-long data breach that culminated in a ransomware attack.

St. Joseph’s/Candler (SJ/C), one of the largest hospital systems in Savannah, became aware of suspicious network activity on the morning of June 17, 2021. A ransomware attack was confirmed, and steps were taken to limit its impact.
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With its computers out of action, the health system used social media to spread word of the security incident, posting: “On the morning of June 17, St. Joseph’s/Candler became aware of suspicious network activity. As a security measure, SJ/C took immediate steps to isolate systems and to limit the potential impact.

“We also promptly initiated an investigation into the scope of the incident, which is ongoing and in its early stages, although SJ/C has confirmed that the incident involved ransomware."
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guest · Aug 13, 2021

Hospitals see cyber security investment as a low priority
August 13, 2021
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...e-cyber-security-investment-as-a-low-priority

Cyber security investment in hospitals remains a low priority in spite of continuing attacks on healthcare delivery organisations, according to a report from CyberMDX and Philips.

Published 12 August 2021, the Perspectives in healthcare security report examines the impact of cyber attacks on large and mid-size hospitals, and the challenges that face these organisations in responding to them.

“With new threat vectors emerging every day, healthcare organisations are facing an unprecedented level of challenges to their security,” said Azi Cohen, CEO of CyberMDX.
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According to the survey results, 48% of hospital executives had reported a forced or proactive shutdown in the past 6 months as a result of external attacks or queries.
This is in line with previous research from Check Point, which found that cyber attacks in the healthcare industry had grown by 45% between November 2020 and January 2021.

However, the CyberMDX report found that despite the continuing attacks on hospitals, more than 60% of hospital IT teams said they have “other’ spending priorities, and less than 11% said that cyber security is a high-priority spend.
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guest · Aug 14, 2021

Data breach at US waste management firm exposes employees’ healthcare details
August 12, 2021
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/...ent-firm-exposes-employees-healthcare-details

A data breach at US waste management firm Waste Management Resources has exposed the healthcare information of current and former employees, as well as their dependents.

The company says that on January 21, it discovered signs of suspicious activity.

“We immediately launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, to determine the nature and scope of the activity and contacted the FBI,” Waste Management Resources says in a statement.
“Our investigation determined that an unauthorized actor entered our environment between January 21 and 23, 2021, accessed certain files, and took a limited number of files.”
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guest · Aug 19, 2021

More Than 600K Patients Impacted by UNM Health Data Breach
August 19, 2021
https://healthitsecurity.com/news/more-than-600k-patients-impacted-by-unm-health-data-breach

University of New Mexico (UNM) Health announced that it fell victim to a data breach that may have exposed the personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) of over 600,000 patients. The health system’s impacted hospitals include UNM Medical Group, UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, and UNM Hospital.

The breach occurred on May 2, but UNM Health was not aware of the incident until June 4. UNM Health began sending letters to impacted patients in early August. The incident impacted UNM Health’s network server and affected 637,252 individuals, according to HHS’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
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guest · Aug 19, 2021

Health Data Breach Tally Update: Ransomware Persists
More Major Incidents Added to the 'Wall of Shame'
August 19, 2021
https://www.databreachtoday.com/health-data-breach-tally-update-ransomware-persists-a-17331

Several major ransomware incidents have been added to the federal tally of major health data breaches in weeks.

Among the incidents recently added to the HHS Office for Civil Rights' HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website, which lists health data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals, is a June ransomware attack reported on Aug. 8 by St. Joseph’s/Candler, a healthcare system located in Savannah, Georgia, that affected 1.4 million individuals. As of Thursday, that incident is the sixth largest breach added to the tally so far this year.
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Another ransomware incident added to the tally in recent days was reported to HHS on July 30 by UF Health Central Florida as affecting nearly 701,000.

The largest 2021 breach involving ransomware posted to the HHS OCR site was reported by Wisconsin-based Forefront Dermatology S.C. on July 8; it affected more than 2.4 million individuals, including patients and employees.
'Wall of Shame' Stats
A snapshot Thursday reveals that so far in 2021, 443 breaches affecting more than 31.1 million individual have been added to the HHS OCR breach tally website.
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guest · Aug 20, 2021

Google Health loses its first leader, projects set to continue
August 19, 2021
https://9to5google.com/2021/08/19/google-health-leader/

In late 2018, Google hired Dr. David Feinberg to “organize [the company’s] health efforts” into one division tasked with “help[ing] everybody live their healthiest life.” The Google Health leader is now leaving the company after two years.

According to the Wall Street Journal (and the company on Twitter), Google Health will continue its projects, but “declined to comment on the future leadership of the team.” Feinberg previously reported to Google AI head Jeff Dean, with many of the company’s efforts focused on using machine learning and other smarts to aid patient care.
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Feinberg is moving on to become the CEO of Cerner, which also creates technology for hospitals.
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guest · Aug 20, 2021

mood said: ↑

Data Breach at Georgia Health System
August 11, 2021
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/data-breach-at-georgia-health/
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St. Joseph’s/Candler Back Online After Ransomware Attack
August 20, 2021
https://healthitsecurity.com/news/st-josephs-candler-back-online-after-ransomware-attack

St. Joseph’s/Candler (SJ/C), Savannah, Georgia’s largest health system, is once again fully operational after suffering a ransomware attack earlier this year that exposed protected health information (PHI), according to a report from local news outlet Savannah Morning News.

The cyberattack forced the health system into EHR downtime, and providers were required to document clinical notes on pen and paper. The breach impacted 1.4 million individuals, said the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
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guest · Aug 23, 2021

mood said: ↑

Google Health loses its first leader, projects set to continue
August 19, 2021
https://9to5google.com/2021/08/19/google-health-leader/
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A breakdown of Google Health in 2021: 15 things leading up to division's dismantling
August 20, 2021
https://www.beckershospitalreview.c...ngs-leading-up-to-division-s-dismantling.html

Google has begun dissolving its health division as it looks to split its healthcare projects and teams across several areas of the company, Insider reported Aug. 20.
The move comes as Google Health's chief, David Feinberg, MD, announced he would be joining Kansas City, Mo.-based EHR company Cerner in October as its new president and CEO.

Here are 15 things to know about Google Health's business strategy and partnerships in 2021 so far, based on reports from Becker's Hospital Review.
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guest · Aug 24, 2021

Hackers Could Increase Medication Doses Through Infusion Pump Flaws
It would take a determined hacker to break into the vulnerable B. Braun products, but the impact could be devastating
August 24, 2021
https://www.wired.com/story/infusion-pump-hack-dose-increase/

From pacemakers and insulin pumps to mammography machines, ultrasounds, and monitors, a dizzying array of medical devices have been found to contain worrying security vulnerabilities.

The latest addition to that ignoble lineup is a popular infusion pump and dock, the B. Braun Infusomat Space Large Volume Pump and B. Braun SpaceStation, that a determined hacker could manipulate to administer a double dose of medication to victims.
Infusion pumps automate delivery of medications and nutrients into patients' bodies, typically from a bag of intravenous fluids.
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As a result, products like the B. Braun Infusomat Space Large Volume Pump are extremely locked down at the software level; it's supposed to be impossible to send the devices commands directly. But researchers from the security firm McAfee Enterprise ultimately found ways to get around this barrier.

“We pulled on every thread we could and ultimately we found the worst-case scenario,” says Steve Povolny, head of McAfee's Advanced Threat Research group. “As an attacker, you should not be able to move back and forth from the SpaceStation to the actual pump operating system, so breaking that security boundary and getting access to be able to interact between those two—it's a real problem. We showed that we could double the rate of flow.”
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guest · Aug 25, 2021

mood said: ↑

Eskenazi Health remains on diversion days after ransomware attack
August 9, 2021
https://eu.indystar.com/story/news/...sion-days-after-ransomware-attack/5546251001/
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Eskenazi Health confirms patient data stolen prior to ransomware, EHR downtime
August 25, 2021
https://www.scmagazine.com/analysis...-data-stolen-prior-to-ransomware-ehr-downtime

Eskenazi Health confirmed the threat actors behind the ransomware attack launched on Aug. 4 exfiltrated patient data prior to the deployment and leaked the stolen information online in the days following the attack and subsequent network outage.

The Indianapolis-based health system was forced into electronic health record (EHR) downtime procedures after the attack was launched, prompting the IT to quickly shut down the IT network to prevent the attack from spreading and to protect patient safety. The incident impacted all Eskenazi Health care sites.
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The notice also shows the IT team has found no evidence that any “files were ever encrypted,” and officials stressed they have no intention of making any payments to the hacking group.”

“Our system worked as it should and the quick action by staff, in accordance with our information security protocols, enabled us to maintain the safety and integrity of our patient care,” officials said in a statement.
For now, Eskenazi Health is continuing to work with the FBI on their investigation into the attack.
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guest · Aug 26, 2021

Medical Data for 12,000 Patients Leaked Following Revere Health Attack
Although the phishing attack posed little risk to patients, the incident could open the door to more complex attacks
August 26, 2021
https://news.softpedia.com/news/med...d-following-revere-health-attack-533870.shtml

A mistake by a health care worker resulted in the leaking of medical information of about 12,000 patients. The phishing attack took place on June 21 and lasted only 45 minutes, according to The Spectrum.

While he breach exposed medical record numbers, birth dates, procedures, and insurance provider names, provider names, the two-month investigation determined that the breach posed a negligible risk to the patients affected. Moreover, Revere Health believes that the hacker is not attempting to publish the patient medical information, but rather is using the incident as a platform to conduct more sophisticated phishing email attacks against other employees.
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guest · Aug 26, 2021

Singaporean eye clinic serving over 73,000 patients hit by ransomware
August 26, 2021
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/ne...ic-serving-over-73000-patients-hit-ransomware

Eye & Retina Surgeons, a private eye clinic in Singapore, has disclosed that it was hit by a ransomware attack early this month.

The incident on 6 August affected the clinic's server and management system that is said to be managing over 73,000 patients. Based on a news report, the attack compromised patient information, including names, addresses, identity card numbers, contact details and clinical information such as clinical notes and eye scans. No credit card or bank account details were accessed.
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Active medical records in the clinic, which are stored in a separate cloud-based system, were untouched by the attack, while clinical operations were spared as well.
The news report said the ERS paid no ransom to still-unidentified hackers.
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guest · Aug 26, 2021

Breach at Deep South allergy clinic group exposed the health info of estimated 9,800 patients
August 26, 2021
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/...d-the-health-info-of-estimated-9-800-patients

Atlanta Allergy & Asthma (AAA), the largest allergy treatment healthcare business in the region, is notifying 9,800 patients that a January data breach involved protected health information.

Miscreants extracted full names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, diagnoses, treatment information, and costs, along with provider names, financial account numbers, treatment location, dates of service, and patient health insurance information.

The breach took place between January 5 and January 13.

"Upon learning of the issue, AAA immediately took steps to secure its network and mitigate against any additional harm. AAA worked very closely with external cybersecurity professionals to determine the full impact of the incident," the firm said in a statement.
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guest · Aug 26, 2021

California DOJ Must Be Notified About Breaches of the Health Data of 500 or More California Residents
August 25, 2021
https://www.hipaajournal.com/califo...lth-data-of-500-or-more-california-residents/

The Breach Notification Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities and business associates to send notifications to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) about data breaches and healthcare organizations are also required to comply with state data breach notification laws.

Recently, there have been several instances where the California DOJ has not been notified about ransomware attacks on California healthcare facilities, even though the personal and protected health information of California residents has likely been compromised in the attack.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has recently issued a bulletin reminding all entities that house the confidential health-related information of California residents of their data breach reporting responsibilities under California law (Civil Code section 1798.82). Whenever there has been a breach of the health data of 500 or more California residents, a breach report must be submitted to the Office of the Attorney General.
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ronjor · Sep 16, 2021

FTC Warns Health Apps and Connected Device Companies to Comply With Health Breach Notification Rule

September 15, 2021
Policy statement affirms that covered companies that hold fertility, heart health, glucose levels and other health data must notify consumers in the event of a breach
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guest · Sep 20, 2021

Alaska discloses ‘sophisticated’ nation-state cyberattack on health service
September 19, 2021
https://therecord.media/alaska-discloses-sophisticated-nation-state-cyberattack-on-health-service/

A nation-state cyber-espionage group has gained access to the IT network of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service (DHSS), the agency said last week.

The attack, which is still being investigated, was discovered on May 2, earlier this year, by a security firm, which notified the agency.
While the DHSS made the incident public on May 18 and published two updates in June and August, the agency did not reveal any details about the intrusion until last week, when it officially dispelled the rumor that this was a ransomware attack.

Instead, the agency described the intruders as a “nation-state sponsored attacker” and “a highly sophisticated group known to conduct
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Officials said they believe to have expelled the attacker from their network; however, there is still an investigation taking place into what the attackers might have accessed.

“The breach involves an unknown number of individuals but potentially involves any data stored on the department’s information technology infrastructure at the time of the cyberattack,” officials said.
Notification emails will be sent to all affected individuals between September 27 and October 1, 2021, the DHSS said.
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guest · Sep 21, 2021

US optometry provider Simon Eye hit by data breach impacting 144,000 patients
Compromise of employee mailboxes may have exposed sensitive medical data
September 21, 2021
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/...hit-by-data-breach-impacting-144-000-patients

Simon Eye, a US chain of optometry clinics, has reported a data breach potentially impacting more than 144,000 individuals.

The possible compromise of sensitive personal data arose from unauthorized access to employee email accounts over a seven-day period between May 12-18, 2021, according to a data breach notice on the Simon Eye website.
Simon Eye said the attackers “attempted to engage in wire transfer and invoice manipulation attacks against the company, none of which were successful”.
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According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ breach portal, Simon Eye has reported that the incident may have affected 144,373 individuals.

Simon Eye declined to comment further in response to a query from The Daily Swig.
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guest · Sep 21, 2021

Data breach at Texas behavioral health center affects more than 24,000
September 21, 2021
https://therecord.media/data-breach-at-texas-behavioral-health-center-affects-more-than-24000/

A data breach at Texas behavioral health provider Texoma Community Center affected more than 24,000 people and highlights how timelines for breach notification may lag behind security events—even when the most sensitive information is compromised.

Texoma is a nonprofit that specializes in delivering mental health and substance abuse services. The public notice posted on its website last week says the organization “became aware of suspicious activity relating to several employee email accounts that were sending unauthorized messages,” on October 20 of last year and “immediately launched an investigation.” However, it took nearly 10 months for the center to notify stakeholders, including health authorities, of the breach.
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Healthcare providers are generally required to notify people affected by breaches of protected health information within 60 day under U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Breach Notification rules. However, HHS guidance makes it clear that the clock for notification starts ticking “the date the breach was discovered by the covered entity,” unless delay is requested by law enforcement.
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guest · Sep 24, 2021

mood said: ↑

UC San Diego Health discloses data breach after phishing attack
July 27, 2021
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...-discloses-data-breach-after-phishing-attack/
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UC San Diego Health sued over data breach affecting 500,000 patients
September 24, 2021
https://www.beckershospitalreview.c...r-data-breach-affecting-500-000-patients.html

A former patient has sued UC San Diego Health claiming the health system took too long to notify patients of a data breach and that it had inadequate cybersecurity measures in place after hackers accessed employee email accounts for four months, according to a Sept. 24 report by the The San Diego Tribune.
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guest · Sep 28, 2021

Ransomware, Vendor Breaches Spike on Federal Tally
Analysis of Latest Major Health Data Breaches Posted to HHS OCR Website
September 28, 2021
https://www.databreachtoday.com/ransomware-vendor-breaches-spike-on-federal-tally-a-17634

Hacking incidents - especially those involving ransomware attacks and vendors - continue to rack up the largest victim counts in breaches being posted in recent weeks to the federal health data breach tally.

In a little over a month, since Information Security Media Group's last snapshot on Aug. 19, some 54 major health data breaches affecting a total of nearly 4 million individuals have been added to the Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website. Commonly called the "wall of shame," the website lists health data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals.
As of Tuesday, the website shows that 505 breaches have been posted to the tally in 2021 so far, affecting nearly 35.1 million individuals.
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In total, since 2009, 4,232 major health data breaches affecting nearly 307.3 million individuals have been posted on the HHS website.

Also among the largest additions to the tally in recent weeks are an assortment of ransomware breaches and vendor incidents.
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guest · Sep 29, 2021

Mental Health Clinic Notifies Patients 6 Months After Hack
PII, PHI for 35,000 Individuals Potentially Stolen in Incident
September 29, 2021
https://www.databreachtoday.com/mental-health-clinic-notifies-patients-6-months-after-hack-a-17642

A Philadelphia-based mental health services provider has begun to notify 35,000 individuals that their health and personal information was potentially viewed or stolen by hackers in a data security incident discovered more than six months ago.

In a Sept. 17 statement, Horizon House says that it is informing staff and participants of a data security incident detected on March 5 that "may impact the privacy" of their personal information.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HIPAA Breach Reporting Tool website, which lists health data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals, shows that Horizon House reported the hacking/IT incident involving a network server on Sept. 17 as affecting nearly 28,000 individuals.
But in a breach report filed that same day to the state of Maine's attorney general, Horizon House said the "external system breach/hack" affected more than 35,000 individuals, including one Maine resident.

"This breach earns a particularly high score because of the breadth of high-risk ID credentials exposed, including drivers’ license numbers, which can enable new financial account fraud, impersonation with law enforcement agencies, and other crime, he notes.
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guest · Oct 6, 2021

Medtronic urgently recalls insulin pump controllers over hacking concerns
October 6, 2021
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...sulin-pump-controllers-over-hacking-concerns/

Medtronic is urgently recalling remote controllers for insulin pumps belonging to the ‘MiniMed Paradigm’ family of products, due to severe cybersecurity risks.

The controllers that should be returned to the vendor are models MMT-500 and MMT-503, used with Medtronic MiniMed 508 insulin pump and the MiniMed Paradigm family of insulin pumps.
These devices were sold in the United States between August 1999 and July 2018, and it is estimated that there are 31,310 vulnerable units in use by diabetic patients in the country at the moment.
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A potentially deadly hack
The problem with these older remotes is that an unauthorized person could potentially record and replay the wireless communication signal that is generated when the user presses a button on the controller, sending commands directly to the insulin pump.

Medtronic has sent letters with specific instructions for users' recalled model, but if you’re a second-hand user you may find the instructions for each particular model on this 'Urgent Medical Device Recall' notice.
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guest · Oct 12, 2021

Oregon Eye Specialists discloses data breach following employee email compromise
Attackers had access to mailboxes over a two-month period
October 11, 2021
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/...ta-breach-following-employee-email-compromise

A US optometry group has disclosed a data breach related to unauthorized activity on internal email accounts.

Oregon Eye Specialists, which runs six clinics throughout Portland, said the exposed data includes customers’ names and one or more of the following: dates of birth, dates of service, medical record numbers, financial account information, and health insurance provider names and/or policy numbers.
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After it “identified unusual activity in an email account” on August 10, 2021, the eye-care provider said it “reset account passwords and implemented additional security measures to further protect information”, according to a data breach alert published on October 8.

An investigation then “determined an individual accessed certain accounts between June 29, 2021, and August 31, 2021”, said the company.
It added: “Although we have no evidence to suggest actual or attempted misuse of information as a result of this incident, we are notifying potentially impacted individuals.”
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guest · Oct 14, 2021

Cyberattack targets Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera
October 13, 2021
https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/10/13/cyberattack-targets-hillel-yaffe-medical-center-in-hadera/

The computer systems of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera were targeted Wednesday morning by a ransomware cyberattack.

Laniado Hospital in Netanya made preparations to take in patients diverted from Hillel Yaffe.
The event was reported to the Health Ministry, and the hospital said that experts were handling the issue.
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