In October 2020 the FBI, CISA, and HHS released a joint statement warning of the imminent threat of increased ransomware attacks on the U.S. healthcare system, which we discussed in detail in this blog.
In the two months that have followed since that initial warning, cyber attacks on the healthcare industry have continued to grow at an exponential pace.
According to a new report from Checkpoint Research an organization that tracks global cyber threats, “Since the start of November, there has been a further 45% increase in attacks targeting healthcare organizations globally.”
During this same time period, the healthcare industry in North America saw a 37% increase in attacks.
Although the trend of increasing cybercrime began well before 2020, the challenges of this past year, especially for the healthcare industry have provided an opening for criminals to launch more ransomware attacks.
Simply put these bad actors know that you are not as concerned about cybersecurity right now as you should be, and that lack of concern is proving to be costly.
These threats can not be taken lightly which is why we strongly recommend the following layers of security to all our clients:
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Using a method of authentication in addition to your password when logging into key systems.
- Security Awareness Training: Automated testing and training of staff to bolster human awareness to identify security threats and phishing attempts.
- DNS filtering: Organization-wide internet filtering preventing traffic to known malicious sites.
- Advanced Endpoint Protection: Behavior-based endpoint software with 24/7 monitoring by a security team.
- Dark Web Monitoring: Consistent monitoring of compromised usernames and passwords being sold in the digital black market.
In addition to the protections mentioned above, we offer more advanced cybersecurity solutions as well as managed IT services that work hand in hand to provide the most effective IT period.
If you are not sure if your practice or business is secure, contact us today and we will help you figure that out!
