The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have credible information of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare providers.
CISA, FBI, and HHS have released AA20-302A Ransomware Activity Targeting the Healthcare and Public Health Sector that details both the threat and practices that healthcare organizations should continuously engage in to help manage the risk posed by ransomware and other cyber threats. The advisory references the joint CISA MS-ISAC Ransomware Guide that provides a ransomware response checklist that can serve as a ransomware-specific addendum to organization cyber incident response plans.
Heather Paunet, Senior Vice President at Untangle, says, “With each ransomware attack on a hospital or medical center, it becomes increasingly clear that back up plans are being developed or initiated as an immediate response while networks are down. There are many medical instruments, such as ventilators, insulin pumps, and other IoT devices that can become vulnerable network access points. These devices need to be audited constantly for software updates, patches, and other upgrades to ensure that outdated software isn’t leaving the network open for criminals.”