The following is a public service announcement from HHS: Thousands of Texans sheltering at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston will have medical care on-site through a 250-bed Federal Medical Station established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the request of the State Department of Health. The Federal…
Category: Health Data
Siemens medical imaging devices become cybersecurity scapegoats
Scott E. Rupp reports: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that some of the Siemens medical imaging devices that run Windows 7 software are vulnerable to cyberattack. If hacked, these specific Siemens devices allow for the ability to “remotely execute arbitrary code,” DHS says. The alert from DHS’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response…
Visalia woman’s personal information stolen… from her doctor’s car
Not only is the data security problematic, but so is the incident response in this case, as Rich Rodriguez reports: A Visalia woman’s personal information is in the hands of a thief. Robin Walker wasn’t hacked, it was stolen from her doctor. She had knee surgery in July. Days before the operation her doctor’s car…
UK: Malware attack disrupts hospitals
It appears that a UK hospital has been impacted by a ransomware attack that is disrupting services to patients, although a spokesperson claims this attack is not as severe or widespread as an earlier attack. X News Press reports that NHS Lanarkshire was impacted: “Unfortunately a small number of procedures and appointments have been cancelled as…
Insurer’s mailing to customers made HIV status visible through envelope window
Erin Mershon reports that a mailing error by health insurer Aetna exposed sensitive information: Thousands of people with HIV received mailed letters from Aetna last month that may have disclosed their HIV status on the envelope. The letters, which Aetna said were sent to approximately 12,000 people, were meant to relay a change in pharmacy…
KS: When your incident response creates a second problem….
On August 16, Salina Family Healthcare posted a substitute notice about a ransomware incident: Salina, Kansas – August 16, 2017 – Salina Family Healthcare Center (“SFHC”) has become aware of a data security incident that may have resulted in the disclosure of personal and protected health information of our patients and payment guarantors. Although at…