by medicaltechont | Jun 9, 2018 | Cloud, Privacy, Security
The economic damage of a successful major cyber-attack against a large cloud services provider could be similar in scale to the financial impact of a destructive hurricane.
The destructive tropical cyclone hurricane Katrina hit the US in 2005, causing $108bn in damage — but that could be exceeded by the cost of a major cyber-attack, according to one expert.
Read more at https://www.zdnet.com/article/cloud-computing-why-a-major-cyber-attack-could-be-as-costly-as-a-hurricane/
by medicaltechont | Nov 25, 2017 | Uncategorized
Ransomware payments in 2017 will hit a record $2 billion, according to a new research from the cybersecurity firm Bitdefender.
That figure would make 2017 the most costly year ever for ransomware, doubling the $1 billion paid out by ransomware victims in 2016 and skyrocketing above the $24 million paid in 2015. The upward trend will likely continue into 2018 as malware becomes more sophisticated and difficult to stop.
Read more at https://www.cyberscoop.com/ransomware-2-billion-bitdefender-gpu-encryption/
by medicaltechont | Oct 22, 2016 | Cloud, Hardware, Security, Software, Technology
Cyber-warfare – Yesterday a massive DDoS attack took down a large portion of the Internet leaving sites offline or at dial-up speed. At first it was thought that the issue was neutralized, however as midday approached another massive attack rendered major sites unavailable. The attack was targeted at a major domain DNS server provider, however the ramifications to the attack were seen to be much more substantial. Sites like Twitter, Netflix, Reddit, PayPal, Kijiji, Pinterest and even the entire PlayStation Network were down or struggling. This was only a small portion of the list. At the moment we still do not know who initiated the attack, however it’s thought that IoT (Internet of Things) devices may actually be the an accessory to the crime. With so many providers affected we now need to take time analyze how this may affect online EMR providers in the future. Can IoT malware attacks and other types render cloud based applications offline? How does this affect patient care?
To read more about the attack that shutdown a large portion of the Internet click on the links below:
https://www.wired.com/2016/10/internet-outage-ddos-dns-dyn/
https://threatpost.com/mirai-fueled-iot-botnet-behind-ddos-attacks-on-dns-providers/121475/
by medicaltechont | May 14, 2016 | Canada, Privacy, Security, Technology
Ransomware is one of the fastest growing areas of cyber crime. The intended target is often small and medium sized businesses, because they have fewer resources compared with larger organizations. Historically, the root word ransom refers to a criminal demanding a payment in exchange for releasing someone or something that has been taken.
Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/matthew-held/5-ways-to-protect-from-ransomware_b_9872320.html
by medicaltechont | Apr 30, 2016 | Medical Records, Security, Technology
As was summarized in this publication’s introduction to the first article in this two-part series on the ransomware crisis, published on April 18, ransomware has blossomed into a crisis-level phenomenon recently in U.S. healthcare. The first nationally reported mainstream media news story in this drama was that around Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. On Friday, February 12, NBC4News, the local affiliate of the NBC network in Los Angeles, reported in its noon and evening broadcasts, and then online, this story: “Hollywood Hospital ‘Victim of Cyber Attack.’” And since that moment, ransomware attacks have rarely been out of the mainstream media headlines, with revelations of attacks that have brought down electronic health record (EHR) and other clinical and operational information systems at the 10-hospital Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health (first media report March 28), as well as at Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Ky. (first news report March 21), Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego, and Chino (Calif.) Valley Medical Center and Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville, Calif. (news stories on March 31), and Kings Daughters Health in Marion, Ind. (first news report Apr. 1).
Read more at http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/facing-ransomware-crisis-what-healthcare-it-leaders-need-do-right-now
