Sam Kim reports: ….. North Korea’s hacking prowess is almost as feared globally as its nuclear arsenal. Last May the country was responsible for an internet scourge called WannaCry, which for a few days infected and encrypted computers around the world, demanding that organizations pay ransom in Bitcoin to unlock their data. A few years…
Month: February 2018
Tennessee hospital notifies 24,000 patients after EMR system attacked with cryptocurrency mining software
In what may be the first report I’ve seen of a hospital having their EMR server hit with cryptocurrency mining software, Decatur County General Hospital in Parsons, Tennessee started notifying 24,000 patients on January 26. A substitute notice on their web site explains: On November 27, 2017, we received a security incident report from our EMR…
Aetna sues claims administrator KCC over botched notice in HIV case
Alison Frankel reports that Aetna is suing Kurtzman Carson Consultants for exposing plan members’ HIV status in envelope windows sent out in July as part of notifying members of settlement negotiations in other litigation matters. The privacy breach resulting from the exposure resulted in Aetna members experiencing a privacy breach involving sensitive information, and led…
TN: Smith Dental notifies HHS of ransomware attack affecting 1,500
On January 22, Robert Smith, DMD, PC in Tennessee reported a breach to HHS. The report indicated that 1,500 patients were impacted by a hacking/IT incident involving their network. A Google search indicated that the practice was likely to be “Smith Dental” in Tennessee. But I could find no press release or statement on their…
Swisscom data breach: Personal details of one in ten Swiss citizens stolen
Jason Murdock reports: A Swiss mobile phone operator has admitted its data systems were breached late last year and the contact details of about 800,000 customers were compromised. Swisscom said on Wednesday (7 February) that the names, addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth of customers were accessed by an unknown party, which got the…
Latvian National Pleads Guilty to “Scareware” Hacking Scheme That Targeted Minneapolis Star Tribune Website
A Latvian man pleaded guilty today in Minneapolis for participating in a lucrative “scareware” hacking scheme that targeted visitors to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s website. Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gregory G. Brooker of the District of Minnesota and Special Agent in Charge Richard T….