Before The Breach

In today’s digital age, protecting sensitive patient information is more critical than ever. Healthcare organizations face increasing threats from cyberattacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access. Ensuring patient data security is not just about compliance; it’s about maintaining trust and safeguarding lives. This article explores effective strategies to enhance patient data security tips that healthcare providers can implement immediately. Essential Patient Data Security

I lead PR and communications at Municorn, where brand trust meets data protection. If customers doubt their health information is safe, there’s no brand to build. I’ve seen how breaches erode trust overnight. For privacy-sensitive apps used in healthcare workflows, the proposed HIPAA Security Rule is not just compliance—it’s a chance to strengthen reputation and confidence.

ClickFix, FileFix, fake CAPTCHA — whatever you call it, attacks where users interact with malicious scripts in their web browser are a fast-growing source of security breaches. ClickFix attacks prompt the user to solve some kind of problem or challenge in the browser — most commonly a CAPTCHA, but also things like fixing an error on a webpage.

Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health said some of its patients were affected by a cybersecurity incident involving Oracle Health, the EHR vendor formerly known as Cerner. Oracle Health notified LifeBridge in March that an unauthorized third party had gained access to its systems as early as Jan. 22 and obtained certain data, LifeBridge said in an Oct. 16 news release. The breach affected  multiple healthcare organizations that use Oracle Health’s platform.

The Justice Department’s push to encourage whistleblowers to raise cybersecurity fraud claims against US contractors has produced settlements that provide a window into alleged lapses, vulnerabilities, and shortcomings amongst governmental partners of all stripes. Georgia Institute of Technology last month became the latest federal funds recipient to resolve  a False Claims Act suit alleging inadequate performance of cybersecurity services in federal contracts. DOJ has announ

The dome of the Montana Capitol, with the statue of Mike and Maureen Mansfield in the lower center (By Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan). The Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance is warning nearly a half-million Montana customers of Montana Blue Cross-Blue Shield that their private data, including financial information, health information, or personal information may be at risk following a major data breach, and it has launched an investigation that could aff

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Ortho Rhode Island  has reached a $2.9 million class action settlement with patients whose information was compromised in a cyberattack last year . Target 12 reported back in November 2024 that a phone and computer system outage the previous September was actually a hack that could have exposed the names, addresses, billing and health insurance information, and other medical information of “a significant percentage” of Ortho RI’s patients.

HELENA — The office of Montana State Auditor James Brown, the state's commissioner of securities and insurance, has launched an investigation into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) following a major data breach. According to the Auditor’s Office, the breach puts the personal and medical information of up to 462,000 Montana customers at risk.

Pennsylvania lawmakers want to make sure humans are still involved in health care decisions that rely on artificial intelligence.  Bipartisan legislation introduced this month in the House of Representatives would require health care providers and insurers to be transparent about how they use artificial intelligence and ensure that humans review all assessments made by AI. Providers and insurers also would be mandated to provide evidence that their uses of AI minimize bias an

Findings from new cybersecurity reports this week highlight the type and impacts of escalating cyberthreats against U.S. healthcare organizations and their business partners. The reports – one from the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center and two from security research firms the Ponemon Institute and Comparitech – show that cyberattacks continue to directly disrupt patient care and lead to serious clinical consequences. The attacks are becoming more frequent attacks

A firm providing emergency medical services has been fined £100,000 after a serious data breach exposed sensitive patient information. Thousands of emails, some containing confidential health data, were stolen from the Medical Specialist Group (MSG) in Guernsey and later used in phishing campaigns targeting patients, said the Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) in a statement .

A 2022 Ponemon Institute survey found that nearly 9 in 10 healthcare organizations experienced an average of 43 cyberattacks in a...

Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1, doing business as Skagit Regional Health, the operator of Skagit Regional Hospital in Mount...

In today’s healthcare environment, understanding and adhering to regulatory requirements is crucial. The HIPAA (Health Insurance...

Alphabet’s  health tech subsidiary Verily used the health data of more than 25,000 patients without authorization and actively covered...

The White House’s lead regulatory office is reviewing a proposed rule that would upgrade the cybersecurity protections required under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the proposed rule on Oct. 18. The changes to the HIPAA security rule will “improve cybersecurity in the health care sector by strengthening requirements for HIPAA regulated entities to safeguard electroni

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement with five health care...

According to a Comparitech report , ransomware attacks are significantly affecting U.S. healthcare organizations, with a concerning...

In today’s digital age, healthcare organizations face increasing challenges in protecting sensitive patient information. The rise of...

Farmers Insurance has confirmed a data breach affecting policyholders in multiple states. According to reports, the incident exposed...