- FBI published results of research:
- Total losses from internet crime exceeded $4.2 billion in 2020
- In 2019, losses were only $3.5 billion
- FBI published warning to school systems in the U.S., that they are being targeted by PYSA ransomware, aka Mespinoza.
- Jean Francois Eap, CEO of Sky Global, was indicted for allegedly participating in a hacking and illegal narcotic distribution ring
- Sky Global is a provider of custom handsets and a subscription-based end-to- end encrypted messaging app
- Check Point Research is reporting that Microsoft Exchange Server hacks are doubling every 2 hours.
- A hacker in Switzerland was able to hack into live security camera feeds of customers using Verkada solutions. Hospitals how notified patients of possible HIPAA breach include:
- Halifax Health of Daytona Beach, FL
- Wadley Regional Medical Center of Texarkana, TX
- Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital of Arizona
- Centene Corp., an insurance firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against Accellion Inc. of Delaware, in regards to a breach of PHI.
- Leon County School District of Tallahassee, FL notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after cybersecurity incident.
- Atascadero State Hospital of California notified 1,415 patients that their PHI was illegally accessed by an employee.
- Arizona Complete Health notified 27,390 patients that their PHI was exposed after cybersecurity incident.
- Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids, MI notified an unknown number of patients that their identities may have been exposed after a group of doctors posted operating room photos on Instagram.
- Tate High School of Pensacola, FL notified an unknown number of students that their info may have been exposed after an employee illegally hacked into network.
- Colorado Retina Associates notified 26,600 patients that their PHI was exposed after email phishing attack.
- The FBI published a warning about how hackers are using email phishing attacks to insert Trickbot malware into networks.
- When unsuspecting employees open email and click on a photo, they download a Javascript file that downloads Trickbot onto their system
- Hackers can then steal valuable information and insert ransomware
- UP Health System – Marquette in Michigan notified an unknown number of patients that a third party is calling its patients attempting to trick them into providing personal information.
- Douglas County government of Washington notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after cyberattack originating in China.
- Wali Muhammad of Branford, CT pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud as a result defrauding Medicaid using stolen PHI while working for Happy Family Clinical Services LLC of East Haven, CT.
- Faces a maximum of 10 years in prison
- Timothy Young of Moorefield, Nebraska was sentenced to 21 months in prison after illegally accessing confidential information while working for a data analytics and risk assessment firm in New Jersey.
- Graham Ivan Clark of Tampa, Florida was sentenced to 3 years in prison for role in hacking well known Twitter accounts.
- Newberry County Memorial Hospital of South Carolina notified an unknown number of patients that their PHI may have been exposed after ransomware attack.
- Protenus Research published results of survey of healthcare organizations
- Hacking incidents up 42% YoY
- 20% of breaches causing by insiders exposing PHI of 8 million patients
- 87% involved PHI inside EHRs
- 13% involved PHI on paper documents
- 187 days is average amount of time before breach is discovered
- Palo Alto Networks published results of research:
- Average ransom paid to hackers by ransomware victims is $312,493
- 171% increase YoY
- Highest demand made was $30 million
- Highest ransom paid was $10 million
- Tri County Public Safety Network of New York notified an unknown number of citizens that their info may have been exposed after ransomware attack.