Cybersecurity news for hospitals and health systems

Ransomware attacks will continue to be a threat for organizations even as the federal government aggressively tries to stamp down hacker groups, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 5.

Hackers are demanding ransom from Johnson Memorial Hospital as the Franklin, Ind.-based health system grapples with an ongoing cyberattack, according to an Oct. 5 WTHR 13 report.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released an insider risk mitigation toll Oct. 5 to help organizations assess the vulnerabilities of insider threats.

Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare began notifying patients Oct. 1 that their protected health information was exposed for more than six weeks during an attack on its IT systems earlier this year. 

A former patient of Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial HealthCare filed a class action lawsuit against Elekta over an April data breach that affected 170 health systems, according to court documents obtained by Becker's.

It took just two minutes for hackers to breach a hospital's network and deploy ransomware on Franklin, Ind.-based Johnson Memorial Health, according to an Oct. 4 Daily Journal report.

The White House is assembling 30 countries to meet this month to collaborate on a global strategy aimed at addressing the threat ransomware brings to economic and national security, CNN reported Oct. 1. 

Indianapolis-based Eskenazi Health began notifying patients and employees Oct. 1 that their protected health information was exposed earlier this year after a ransomware attack on the hospital. 

Connected medical devices provide health systems with multiple benefits, but these connected devices can also expose health systems to a host of cybersecurity-related risks.

Report findings and a current lawsuit allege that ransomware attacks and patient outcomes have a direct link.