Healthcare businesses are already reeling from massive losses during the pandemic, and cyberattacks could cause further long-term damage beyond the initial attack. Research at Morphisec indicates that almost 3-in-10 consumers say they would consider switching providers if their records were breached in a cyberattack. Considering that same report found that 1-in-5 Americans say a cyberattack has impacted their healthcare provider in the past year, it’s undoubtedly worrying news for the entire industry. With this in mind, here are three avenues hackers are likely to exploit as healthcare becomes a more attractive target and what providers’ need to do to protect their sensitive data and safeguard the lives of their patients.
An online site used to book COVID-19 vaccines in the London area was attacked by bots, as thousands attempted to register for their vaccine appointments. According to the London Free Press, just before 10:15 a.m., the Middlesex-London Health Unit tweeted the booking system had experienced challenges. “We have addressed the issues and will continue to monitor the booking system closely,” the organization claimed.
The education space has become a major target for cybercriminals. In fact, CISA and the FBI recently issued a joint statement warning K-12 schools of worsening dangers in 2021 after a recent 57% spike ransomware attacks in the sector. So, how can teachers and students stay safe? Here, we speak with Kelvin Coleman, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) about how educators and K-12 cybersecurity leaders can better protect students’ privacy during distance learning sessions.
Videoconferencing has been around for a surprisingly long time. In fact, the first call involving both audio and video links has been traced all the way back to 1927 in a call that took place between officials in Washington, DC and the president of AT&T in New York. Although it was laughably primitive by current standards, electronic conferencing technology has never stopped growing in either refinement or use.
The World Economic Forum's Global Risk Report for 2021 placed cybersecurity failure among the greatest threats facing humanity within the next ten years. Clearly, in this climate, and since many jumped into the world of cyber operations without adequate preparation, cybersecurity is now a critical priority.
Hybrid work is emerging as a norm, especially for companies who have a mix of workers whose job requires coming into the office, and those who are able to accomplish their work at home. This hybrid workforce is expected to become more prevalent as 75% of workers want to retain flexibility over their schedule beyond the pandemic. To get some insight into how security executives executives can implement consistent security practices for the new hybrid workforce environment, we spoke to Michael Borromeo, Vice President, Data Protection at Stericycle, the provider of Shred-it information security services.
Education is particularly attractive to criminals because of the vast amount of valuable data it holds: student and staff information, supplier information, alumni databases, and research data - so, as security experts, what’s to be done to help schools secure their endpoint devices?
In the spring of 2020, the second New York Cyber Task Force (NYCTF) was formed under the direction of its Executive Director Greg Rattray, gathering key high-profile members and leading experts to analyze the degree to which the U.S. was ready for future cyber challenges, including political, economic, and technological developments; changing cyber conflict dynamics; and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the NYCTF released its new report, “Enhancing Readiness for National Cyber Defense through Operational Collaboration” with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), revealing U.S. cyber response readiness against national security challenges in cyberspace.
2020 and COVID-19 taught us a few things in the security industry: the importance of security awareness, speed of deployment is not always a good thing, and assuming new levels of risk such as “remote work force”. With so many challenges still on the horizon, here are some of the key topics to have on top of mind:
If the experiences of 2020 taught us anything, it’s that risk in the modern world cannot be understood or sufficiently mitigated with a siloed approach. Individual threats, such as regulatory risk and IT security, converge. Lacking a high-level view, it’s difficult to see the web of cause and effect – making it more difficult to anticipate, prepare, or mitigate the biggest risks. 2020 may be over, but the challenges remain in 2021. Compliance and risk management will need a shared umbrella of information and communication to tackle the complex, integrated risks of today’s landscape.