Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

RansomHub Claims Theft of Montana Planned Parenthood Data

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 5, 2024

Planned Parenthood of Montana, which provides patients with reproductive healthcare services including birth control and abortion, is responding to a hack and a threat by cybercriminal group RansomHub to leak 93 gigabytes of data allegedly stolen from the organization.

HHS OCR Drops Appeal of Court's Web Tracker Ruling

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 4, 2024

The Department of Health and Human Services has dropped its appeal of a recent federal court decision saying that HHS exceeded its authority in warning HIPAA-regulated entities that it's unlawful to use online tracking tools to capture certain identifiers in user visits to health-related websites.

Radiology IT Vendor Hack Hits 4 Practices, 411,000 People

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 3, 2024

A vendor that provides information systems and transcription services to radiology practices is alerting 411,037 people of a hack discovered last December involving the theft of sensitive data. The firm already faces at least four proposed federal class action lawsuits related to the hack.

Expanding Vendor Base, Shrinking Security Perimeter?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 3, 2024

Ransomware remains a critical concern for healthcare systems, affecting the availability of patient care. Hugo Lai, CISO at Temple University Health System, said defenders need to understand the dependencies within business processes to effectively combat ransomware.

AI in Healthcare: Ensuring Patients' Right to Know

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 2, 2024

AI holds great promise for healthcare but ethical concerns abound. David Hoffman, assistant professor of bioethics at Columbia University, shares insights on balancing AI's benefits and risks, the need for informed consent by patients and ethical considerations in AI implementations.

Verkada Agrees to $2.95M Civil Penalty With US FTC

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 30, 2024

A California security camera company agreed to pay a $2.95 million civil penalty and implement a security program after hackers in 2021 accessed video from 150,000 internet-connected security cameras, including from devices placed inside psychiatric hospitals and women's health clinics.

CISA and HHS Would Team Up in Health Sector Under House Bill

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 30, 2024

A bipartisan House bill aims to bolster cybersecurity in the healthcare sector by requiring stronger collaboration between CISA and the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill is a companion to nearly identical bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate in July.

Florida Department of Health Informs RansomHub Hack Victims

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 29, 2024

Two months after RansomHub claimed to have published 100GBs of its stolen data on the dark web, the Florida Department of Health is notifying citizens that their sensitive information has been compromised. The attack affected the vital statistics system used to issue birth and death certificates.

Nothing to Smile About: Hacks on Dental Practices Swell

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 28, 2024

Some dentists don't have much to smile about these days when it comes to cyberattacks. More than 1.2 million of their patients have had their sensitive data compromised in at least two dozen hacks and other breaches so far in 2024, including several incidents reported in the past month.

McLaren Health: IT Operations Fully Back Online Post-Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 27, 2024

McLaren Health says its IT systems are fully restored a few days earlier than expected, following an Aug. 6 ransomware attack that disrupted clinical and administrative operations at its 13 hospitals and other facilities. The Michigan-based entity had expected the recovery to last through August.

Small Rural Alabama Hospital Reports Big 2023 Hacking Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 26, 2024

A small rural Alabama hospital is notifying more than 61,000 patients that their sensitive information was potentially compromised in an October 2023 hacking incident. Why the many months-long delay in notifying regulators and affected individuals?

Feds to Health Sector: Don't Skimp on Physical Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 23, 2024

Despite the endless barrage of cyberattacks hitting the healthcare sector, HIPAA-regulated entities must not neglect their duty to protect electronic patient information against physical threats, including burglaries and natural disasters, U.S. regulators said.

US Authorities Warn Health Sector of Everest Gang Threats

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 22, 2024

U.S. authorities are warning healthcare sector entities of incidents involving Everest, a Russian-speaking ransomware group and initial access broker, which claims to have stolen sensitive patient information in recent attacks, including on two medical care providers in New York and Nevada.

$2.25M Settlement Reached in Atlantic General Hack Lawsuit

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 21, 2024

A ransomware attack against Berlin, Maryland-based Atlantic General Hospital that affected the personal information of 137,000 individuals in 2023 has led to a $2.25 million preliminary settlement of a consolidated proposed federal class action lawsuit.

McLaren Health Expects IT Disruption to Last Through August

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  August 20, 2024

McLaren Health Care expects IT disruptions caused by a ransomware attack earlier this month to last through the end of August. While most of McLaren's facilities are open, IT systems across its hospitals, cancer centers and clinics are still affected, including electronic medical record access.