What happened to the hacking hospitals report?
Nov 26, 2020 · The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, Vt., was the victim of a cyberattack in late October. Elizabeth Frantz for The New York Times By Ellen Barry and Nicole Perlroth Published...
Why do hackers target medical facilities?
Jun 11, 2014 · Jennifer Schonberger ... haven’t raised concerns about getting your sensitive financial information stolen or email account hacked, medical ... Thieves can impersonate consumers and get medical ...
How many medical records have been hacked in 2018?
Such information can easily be applied to fraudulent activities, stalking, and harassment. Finally, hackers target medical facilities because they lag in the introduction of security measures. Bank and financial networks, for example, are heavily protected. This isn’t the …
Why do hackers try to steal your medical records?
Mar 01, 2019 · Why hackers love medical records. Last year, HHS' Office of Inspector General investigated nearly 400 reports of medical data breaches. Cybersecurity firm Protenus tracked just 222 health care data hackings in 2018—and said that figure was up 25% since 2017.. Gary Cantrell, head of investigations at the HHS Office of Inspector General, said hackers tend to …
What is medical identity theft?
Identity theft. Unlawfully obtained medical data can be used for obtaining drugs, treatment, and medical equipment. Medical identity fraud is difficult to detect in its early stage. For reputational reasons, medical organizations that experience security breaches rarely inform their customers in a timely manner.
How can information security be bypassed?
Even the most comprehensive information security measures can be bypassed by using phishing, i.e., a fraudulent technique whereby an attacker imitates a trustworthy source with the aim to collect sensitive data from an unsuspecting individual . Phishing attacks are usually committed through sending an email from a familiar source that requests clicking on a specific link or providing authentication credentials. By way of illustration, on 9 th of October 2015, Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut discovered an information security breach. The attacker was granted access to digital health records of 946 patients. After investigating the matter, the hospital revealed that the attack was conducted by using phishing. More specifically, phishing emails were sent to a large number of hospital employees, four of which responded to the phishing emails.
Why is information security important in healthcare?
The information security of such systems is of paramount importance not only for patients’ privacy but also for their life.
What happened in 2015?
By way of illustration, on 9 th of October 2015, Middlesex Hospital in Connecticut discovered an information security breach. The attacker was granted access to digital health records of 946 patients. After investigating the matter, the hospital revealed that the attack was conducted by using phishing.
What is dictionary attack?
Dictionary attacks. The major part of computer systems that manage digital medical records use password authentication. Therefore, information security issues associated with improper password use (e.g., weak password composition and irresponsible storage) can cause a significant threat to healthcare computer systems.
What is medical records?
Medical records stored digitally contain a lot of important and confidential information, such as patients’ social security and bank account numbers, birth dates, addresses, physical descriptions, insurance information. Such data can be processed for different unlawful purposes, including falsifying prescriptions and receiving fraudulent tax credits. Unsurprisingly, on the black market, the prices of unlawfully obtained medical records are relatively high. FBI and various security experts report that a single medical record in the “dark Web” is worth much more than person’s credit card information, namely, about USD 10 – 50, due to the fact that the stolen medical information cannot be “blocked.” Hacked health credentials are sold in shadowy specialized online marketplaces that serve communities of scammers and hackers. Due to the illegal nature of such websites, they are not easily available for regular Internet users. In order to gain access to markets for health care records, potential buyers and sellers are often required to pay a fee. Moreover, in order to protect such online marketplaces from being tracked and shut down by law enforcement agencies, black market operators may conceal their activities by using special software which makes the marketplaces invisible for the search engines.
What information can be used to file fraudulent tax returns?
Personal information in medical records, such as social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and employment history, can be used for submitting fraudulent applications for tax returns. The electronic U.S. tax return system employs outdated fraud detection and user authentication mechanisms that allow scammers to obtain immense amounts of money every year. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that this year, the country will lose USD 21 billion due to false tax returns. Since the only three personal items that are required for filing an electronic tax return in the U.S. are (1) user’s name, (2) date of birth, and (3) social security number, hacked medical records purchased on the “dark Web” can easily provide such data.
How do hackers make money?
In essence, hackers can make money from patient data through blackmail or by selling such records to the highest bidder. Hackers can also utilize the information of high-profile patients. In 2017, for example, hackers breached the network of a major plastic surgery clinic in London.
How many records were breached in 2018?
The research quoted in the introduction suggests that over 15 million patient records were breached in 2018. The number of affected records has nearly tripled over the course of a single year – from slightly over 5.5 million records in 2017 to over 15 million records in 2018. There are several reasons why hackers are so keen on accessing healthcare ...
Who is Eric Silver?
Eric Silver at CloudWedge.com is a veteran technology blogger and startup enthusiast who has been covering the global technology scene since the most advanced phones were still folding in half.
Why is cloud based technology important?
Cloud-based technologies are scalable and cost-efficient. They allow for better protection through encryption, access monitoring, and the logging of unusual activity. A shift in mindset is needed for healthcare facility managers and administrators to see the cost-efficiency of database safety solutions.
How much does a medical record sell for?
According to Experian, a patient's full medical records can sell for up to $1,000. By comparison, Social Security numbers and credit card information usually sell for $1 and up to $110, respectively. In some cases, hackers go to extreme lengths to get money for the records as quickly as possible, Computerworld reports.
What are the roles of the CIO?
Executives need to play a crucial role in this strategy. While the chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO) will be critical partners, they can't be left to lead the charge all on their own. For example: 1 The board can ensure mechanisms in place to track security status and progress; 2 The CEO can include cybersecurity in due diligence of any M&A or partnership activity; 3 The CMO and CNO can make the clinical voice heard in the organization's security governance; 4 The CFO can ensure funding requests for security tools and services are vetted against a security strategy and roadmap; 5 The COO can ensure business continuity plans are in place, tested, and work well across all shifts; and 6 The CHRO can ensure the security team has the necessary staff to operationalize its security strategy.
How many records were hacked in 2015?
In February 2015, Anthem made history when 78.8 million of its customers were hacked. It was the largest health care breach ever, and it opened the floodgates on a landmark year. More than 113 million medical records were compromised last year, according to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) under Health and Human Services.
Did human error lead to a cyber attack in February that crippled the electronic database at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center?
Did human error lead to a cyber attack in February that crippled the electronic database at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (pictured) for days, forcing doctors at the Los Angeles hospital to rely on telephones and fax machines to relay patient information . Photo by Mario Anzuon/REUTERS
Is healthcare a cybersecurity space?
Health care occupies a vulnerable cybersecurity space. With the rise of health frackers, self-care and personalized medicine, people, doctors and regulators want easier modes of access to patient data. The dangers come from opening huge highways for sharing and storing data without the proper digital protections, Rubin said.
What is inpatient care?
Inpatient care is the most intensive level of treatment for individuals suffering from behavioral health disorders. It offers 24-hour care in a safe and secure environment, making it best for patients who experience an acute episode.
How many beds are there in SMC?
SMC’s Inpatient Psychiatric Unit is a 26-bed, safe and secure place where people can receive the treatment they need to move beyond their immediate behavorial health or substance abuse crisis.
Introduction
Hacking Techniques Used For Gaining Unauthorized Access to Medical Records
- Thousands of medical records containing patients’ confidential information are compromised every year. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains an official list of reported information security breaches affecting 500 or more individuals within the healthcare sector. The list indicates that U.S. medical institutions suffered from 89 cyber-attacks within the …
Market For Medical Records
- Medical records stored digitally contain a lot of important and confidential information, such as patients’ social security and bank account numbers, birth dates, addresses, physical descriptions, insurance information. Such data can be processed for different unlawful purposes, including falsifying prescriptions and receiving fraudulent tax credits. Unsurprisingly, on the black market, …
Unlawful Use of Hacked Medical Records
- Due to specific characteristics of digital medical records, such as a large amount of personal information and the absence of a possibility to “block” this information from reuse, stolen medical records can be used for a spectrum of illicit activities. For instance, digital medical data can be used by fraudsters for committing identity thefts, fina...
Conclusion
- Technological innovations and a large-scale digitization inevitably affect healthcare industries around the world. In order to provide modern, up-to-date, and easily communicable services, major actors in the healthcare sector rely on computer systems. Since patients’ medical records, financial information, health insurance data, treatment history, and other data are stored in digit…
Sources
- Armour, S., ‘How Identity Theft Sticks You With Hospital Bills’, The Wall Street Journal, 7 August 2015. Available athttp://www.wsj.com/articles/how-identity-theft-sticks-you-with-hospital-bills-1438966007. ‘Breach Portal: Notice to the Secretary of HHS Breach of Unsecured Protected Health Information’, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Avail…
Co-Author
- Rasa Juzenaite works as a project manager in an IT legal consultancy firm in Belgium. She has a Master degree in cultural studies with a focus on digital humanities, social media, and digitization. She is interested in the cultural aspects of the current digital environment.