cybersecurity

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Keypoint: With the increased frequency and severity of cyberattacks against healthcare systems, state and federal agencies strive to improve cybersecurity controls with varied success.

In November 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced proposed regulations that would be the first state regulations for hospitals in New York. The governor described the proposed regulation as a “nation-leading blueprint” that would complement the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule enforced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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The pandemic of 2020 tested the mettle of our nation’s healthcare system in many unexpected and profound ways. As healthcare delivery was being rapidly restructured to accommodate COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment and socially-distanced care, bad actors simultaneously began to exploit the increased number of vulnerabilities in health information systems created by telehealth platforms, patient portals and the inattention of stressed, overworked staff. The result was an unprecedented number of cyberattacks culminating in an alert from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on October 28, 2020 addressing the plague of ransomware activity targeting the healthcare and public health sector.

Matrix on blue with rays

The combination of a significant increase in COVID-19 cases, political tensions in the final days of a national election season, and law enforcement’s focus on election security created an opportunity for cybercriminals to target the computer networks of America’s healthcare and public health (HPH) sector. That opportunity has come to fruition this week.

On October 28, 2020 the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published Alert AA20-302A (Alert) describing ransomware activity that has targeted the HPH sector. In the Alert, CISA, FBI and HHS assess that cybercriminals are targeting the HPH sector with TrickBot and BazarLoader malware, which are frequently followed by ransomware attacks, data theft, and disruption of healthcare services.