HMG Healthcare has posted a notice of a data breach on its website, but most people are unlikely to notice the substitute notice because of the way it has been presented. If the purpose of a substitute notice under HIPAA is to reach people the covered entity may not have sufficient or current contact information…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
Compromising Google Accounts: Malwares Exploiting Undocumented OAuth2 Functionality for session hijacking
A detailed blog on Analysis of the Global Malware Trend: Exploiting Undocumented OAuth2 Functionality to Regenerate Google Service Cookies Regardless of IP or Password Reset. Pavan Karthick M writes: Executive Summary In October 2023, PRISMA, a developer, uncovered a critical exploit that allows the generation of persistent Google cookies through token manipulation. This exploit enables…
Medical Device Cybersecurity: Agencies Need to Update Agreement to Ensure Effective Coordination — GAO
GAO-24-106683 Published: Dec 21, 2023. Publicly Released: Dec 21, 2023. Highlights: What GAO Found According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), available data on cybersecurity incidents in hospitals do not show that medical device vulnerabilities have been common exploits. Nevertheless, HHS maintains that such devices are a source of cybersecurity concern warranting…
23andMe Says Breach Victims Are to Blame, Legal Action is Futile
As incident response and public relations go, blaming victims for your breach is generally not an impressive strategy. Michael Edgar reports that 23andMe seems to be doing exactly that: Months after the San Francisco based company experienced a data breach impacting about 6.9 million users, 23andMe is now facing criticism for blaming victims of the breach and…
A point worth considering
Doug Levin recently wrote on Infosec.Exchange: Rant incoming. The frequency with which I read folks asserting that ‘education’ and in particular ‘U.S. K-12 schools’ are the most frequent ransomware target is so frustrating. Of course, that’s a nonsense assertion – and not supported by any reasonable read of the data. It is almost like the…
The State of Ransomware in the U.S.: Report and Statistics 2023
Data analyses and commentary by Emsisoft begins: “From 2016 to 2021, we estimate that ransomware attacks killed between 42 and 67 Medicare patients.” — McGlave, Neprash, and Nikpay; University of Minnesota School of Public Health1 In 2023, the U.S. was once again battered by a barrage of financially-motivated ransomware attacks that denied Americans access to…