{"id":2049118,"date":"2023-09-29T05:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T09:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patient-care-at-risk-as-hospitals-increasingly-on-frontlines-of-ransomware-attacks\/"},"modified":"2023-09-29T05:12:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T09:12:54","slug":"patient-care-at-risk-as-hospitals-increasingly-on-frontlines-of-ransomware-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patient-care-at-risk-as-hospitals-increasingly-on-frontlines-of-ransomware-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospitals face rising ransomware attacks, endangering patient care."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpatient-care-at-risk-as-hospitals-increasingly-on-frontlines-of-ransomware-attacks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2049118&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<p>A surge \u2062of ransomware attacks at hospitals across America are posing a serious\u2063 risk \u200cto both important hospital \u2064infrastructure and patient care, according\u200c to industry leaders\u200b and cybersecurity experts.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>Testimony Reveals Devastating \u200cImpact of Ransomware \u200bAttacks on Hospitals<\/h2>\n<p>On Wednesday, University of Vermont Medical Center\u200d President\u200d and COO Stephen Leffler <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/hearing\/combating-ransomware-attacks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">testified before a congressional panel<\/a> on how a ransomware attack\u200d in October 2020 placed the medical\u200c facility in a state of\u200d crisis. Leffler described the chaos \u2064that ensued, with critical systems down\u200b and\u2062 staff resorting to walkie-talkies and \u200dpaper records to continue patient \u2064care.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t have a phone\u200d system, because our phone is on the internet,&#8221; Mr. Leffler said at the\u2063 hearing. &#8220;We \u2062literally \u200cwent to \u200cBest \u200cBuy and bought every walkie-talkie they had and I asked administrators all to run lab results to\u200b the floor. Our critical\u2062 lab results system \u200dwas down. On day\u200c two, we had \u2062a pile\u2063 of paper lab results in our pathology conference room about six inches thick.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/clorox-products-to-remain-in-shorter-supply-following-cyber-attack-in-august-5495379?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Clorox Products To Remain in\u2064 Shorter\u200b Supply Following Cyber Attack in \u2062August<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/20\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/national-cyber-force-offers-bursaries-amid-battle-for-digital-talent-5490676?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>National Cyber Force Offers Bursaries Amid \u2062&#8217;Battle for Digital Talent&#8217;<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 9\/13\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Leffler emphasized the\u200d severity of \u2064the cyberattack, stating, \u200b&#8221;I&#8217;ve been an emergency medicine doctor\u2064 for 30 years. I&#8217;ve\u200d been a hospital president for four years. The \u200dcyberattack was much\u200d harder than \u2063the pandemic by far.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bhospital \u200chad to invest\u2062 $65 million in recovery efforts and has since implemented measures to enhance \u200dits IT system&#8217;s security, including network segmentation \u200dand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-grills-tech-executives-on-solarwinds-hack\/\" title=\"Senate grills tech executives on SolarWinds hack\">multi-factor authentication<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We assume a \u2063security incident is going to happen again \u2026 There \u2064are so many people trying,&#8221; Mr. Leffler said.<\/p>\n<p>A report\u200d from\u200b Malwarebytes Threat \u2062Intelligence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/threat-intelligence\/2023\/08\/global-ransomware-attacks-at-an-all-time-high-shows-latest-2023-state-of-ransomware-report#:~:text=Ransomware%20attacks%20have%20shown%20no%20signs%20of%20slowing,US%2C%20Germany%2C%20France%2C%20and%20the%20UK%E2%80%94in%20one%20year.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">revealed a staggering 1,900 ransomware attacks<\/a> in just four\u200b countries from July 2022 to June \u200c2023, with the United States being the primary target. Hospitals have increasingly \u2063become \u200dattractive targets for hackers, who\u200c demand \u200dhigher payments for\u2063 the return of critical data.<\/p>\n<p>Brett\u200b Callow, a threat analyst with\u200d cybersecurity provider Emsisoft, \u200dexplained that the centralization of digital systems\u200c in hospitals\u2062 has made them vulnerable to ransomware attacks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Pretty much everything in a hospital is \u2063computer controlled, from patient records \u2062to emergency\u2064 dispatch systems to payroll systems,&#8221; \u2063said Callow. &#8220;So when the computers go\u2064 down, that means it&#8217;s back\u200c to pen and paper, which can just \u200binstantly cripple an institution trying to save lives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Due \u200cto the urgency \u200dof <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-medical-association-releases-plan-to-embed-racial-justice-in-medical-profession\/\" title=\"American Medical Association Releases Plan To \u2018Embed Racial Justice\u2019 In Medical Profession\">providing life-saving care<\/a>, hospitals have become prime\u200d targets \u200bfor ransomware attacks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In \u2062a lot \u2064of cases, hospitals had\u200c to\u2063 redirect \u2062ambulances and instead take them to the next nearest hospital. For a\u200c stroke or\u200c heart attack \u200bvictim, those extra \u2063minutes could be the difference \u2063between life and death,&#8221; said Callow.<\/p>\n<p>One lawsuit in Alabama even alleged that a newborn&#8217;s death resulted from a ransomware\u2062 attack that\u2063 paralyzed the\u200b hospital for \u200cover a week.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The bad actors who create ransomware software are usually based in\u2063 Russia or Eastern\u2063 Europe, while \u2063the ones who use the software to carry out the attacks can be anywhere.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Game of\u200b Whack-a-Mole&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Network segmentation, which decreases the\u200d ability\u200b for a cyberattack to take down an entire\u2064 system\u200d through entering one computer, has been shown to be an effective measure, according to\u200b Callow.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;It\u2064 would be like locking the interior doors\u2063 of the house so a burglar would have trouble moving from one room to another,&#8221; explained Callow.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u2063no security protocol can guarantee complete protection against ransomware attacks.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a \u200bconstant\u2064 game of\u200b <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-director-michigan-should-close-things-down\/\" title=\"CDC Director: Michigan Should \u2018Close Things Down\u2019\">whack-a-mole<\/a>. \u2064It is impossible to completely \u2063defend \u2062against. \u200bNo matter how good your defense is, once in a while, \u200cthe opposition is going to \u2062be able \u200cto score a goal,&#8221; said Callow. &#8220;All you can do is try to reduce \u200dthe likelihood.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing \u2062the urgency \u200dof the situation, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced legislation to facilitate the hiring of \u2063qualified \u200bcybersecurity professionals to\u2062 protect large\u200b institutions.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m concerned that we as a nation are not prepared\u200d for the increasingly cyberattacks\u200c that will be fielded by \u200bAI,\u201d\u200d Rep. Mace said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>She emphasized the need\u200c to fill the shortage of \u200d700,000 cybersecurity professionals across the country \u2064and remove\u200d barriers that prevent\u2064 skilled individuals\u2064 without a \u200dfour-year degree from contributing to the defense against cyber \u200dthreats.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u2063according\u200c to Callow, ransomware attacks\u200b will persist\u200c as long as they remain profitable.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The reason \u2063there are\u2064 increasing numbers of \u200dthese ransomware attacks is that they\u2063 are profitable,&#8221; said Callow.\u200b &#8220;The less profitable they become, the less there \u200cwill be, and if people stop making payments, there will \u200cstop being ransomware attacks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Until\u2064 hospitals and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patient-care-at-risk-as-hospitals-increasingly-on-frontlines-of-ransomware-attacks\/\" title=\"Hospitals face rising ransomware attacks, endangering patient care.\">institutions\u2063 cease paying millions<\/a> to ransomware criminals, \u2064large-scale attacks will continue to plague modern society.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the short term, putting an end to \u2063the payments\u2064 would mean a lot of pain \u200cfor large institutions, but in the long run, it may be\u2063 the\u2064 only way to put an end to these attacks,&#8221; concluded Callow.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What is multi-factor authentication and \u2063how\u200c does it protect hospitals\u200b against cyberattacks?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  , is one of the measures hospitals\u200d are\u2064 implementing to mitigate \u200cthe risk\u2064 of ransomware attacks. \u200cThis process involves dividing a network into smaller \u200csegments in order to isolate \u2062potential threats and prevent\u200c them from spreading throughout\u200c the \u2064entire system. With\u2062 network segmentation in place, if one segment is compromised, the rest of the network \u200cremains unaffected,\u200b thus minimizing the impact\u2064 of a cyberattack.<\/p>\n<p>Multi-factor \u200bauthentication (MFA) is another crucial security measure being adopted by \u200dhospitals. \u200bMFA requires users to provide \u2063multiple forms of identification, such as a password, \u2064a fingerprint scan, or a security \u200btoken, in order to \u200bgain access to\u200d a system. This adds an extra layer\u200c of protection against unauthorized access and significantly reduces the risk of a successful cyberattack.<\/p>\n<p>However, despite these proactive measures, hospitals continue to face \u200ban uphill\u200b battle against ransomware \u2062attacks. The cat-and-mouse nature of the issue has been likened to a &#8220;game of whack-a-mole,&#8221; where the hackers constantly adapt their tactics to bypass security measures. As soon as one vulnerability is patched, \u2064another \u200cone is \u200ddiscovered.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/armed-man-arrested-at-rfk-jr-s-los-angeles-event-after-impersonating-bodyguard\/\" title=\"Man with weapon apprehended at RFK Jr.'s LA event for posing as bodyguard.\">implementing robust security measures<\/a>, hospitals must also prioritize \u200demployee education and training.\u2063 The majority \u200cof successful cyberattacks are a result of human error, such as \u200cclicking on malicious links or falling victim to phishing attempts. By educating staff members about cybersecurity best \u200cpractices and\u2063 ensuring they\u2064 are aware\u2062 of the potential\u2064 risks and consequences of their actions, hospitals \u2064can significantly reduce the likelihood of\u200d a successful attack.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2062 conclusion, the surge of \u200cransomware attacks \u200bat hospitals across America presents a grave threat to both the infrastructure and patient\u200d care of these \u2063vital institutions. The devastating\u200d impacts of these\u200b attacks have been highlighted \u2064by testimony from industry leaders and cybersecurity experts. Hospital administrators\u200c must take immediate action to bolster their IT systems&#8217; security, \u2062implement measures\u2062 such as network segmentation and multi-factor authentication, and \u200bprioritize employee education and training. Without significant investment and proactive measures, hospitals will continue to be vulnerable to ransomware attacks, putting patient lives and critical data at risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rise in ransomware attacks on US hospitals is endangering critical infrastructure and patient care, warn industry leaders and cybersecurity experts. University of Vermont Medical Center President Stephen Leffler testified before Congress, highlighting the impact of an October 2020 attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2342,"featured_media":2049119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2049118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2342"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2049118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2049118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2049119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2049118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2049118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2049118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}