As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, so have the number of coronavirus-related cyberattacks against physicians and consumers. These cyberattacks are coming in various forms, including phishing emails, fake text messages and malicious apps.
Cybersecurity
Torrance (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center began notifying 3,448 patients that their information may have been exposed.
A fake app claiming to have information on the spread of the coronavirus is increasingly being downloaded, according to USA Today.
Five Democratic senators are asking Google and Vice President Mike Pence for more information on its recently launched coronavirus website, according to CNBC.
Two leading cybercriminal groups have said they will stop targeting healthcare organizations as the coronavirus outbreak spreads, according to Forbes.
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Physicians from hospitals across the country have received text messages with false information about the coronavirus and the government’s response plans, according to ABC News.
US government considers tracking technology to find open hospital beds, limit contact between people
Government officials are exploring the possibility of using tracking and surveillance technology to combat the rapid spreading coronavirus, according to The Wall Street Journal.
President Donald Trump announced March 17 that his administration would not be enforcing HIPAA penalties, according to The New York Times.
The leader of HHS Alex Azar told the public March 16 that hackers did not penetrate the department’s systems after reports of a cyberattack that aimed at slowing officials’ response to the novel coronavirus, according to Nextgov.
The Champaign-Urbana (Ill.) Public Health District’s website was encrypted in a ransomware attack March 10, according to The News-Gazette.