At Hammett Technologies, we cannot stress enough how important it is that you have proper security in place to protect your company and personal information from potential attacks. Most malware today is designed to steal sensitive information from a victim’s computer, making healthcare providers high-priority targets.
Cyber security expects in Israel recently hacked into a local hospital, changing CT and MRI images of patients, either adding or taking away cancerous growths. While this attack was simulated, though the use of algorithms, cyber security researchers were able to accurately remove and add cancerous growths. This edited images caused doctors, as well as the hospitals own AI-assisted tools, to misdiagnose over 90% of their patients.
This attack was meant to spread awareness to the vulnerability of not just hospital, but all healthcare providers. If hackers were to replicate this attack, the consequence would be massive. This type of attack can lead some to believe they have cancer, or worse can lead someone to die by thinking they do not. Furthermore, this kind of attack could go hand in hand with ransomware. If attempting to steal money from the hospital, a hacker could infect the machine with ransomware, “…holding the medical imagery hostage,” stated the cyber security team.
It is important to understand that this issue does not relate to just hospital, but all healthcare providers. If your company handles sensitive information, your company is being watch by hackers. Therefore, it is vital that you take steps to ensure that customer information is safe. Ensure that all HIPAA Compliances are met, for both your company’s safety and the customers. Ensure firewalls are in place and are regularly updated and maintained. Lock down the network and all devices with strong passwords (8+ characters, symbols, numbers). If you are worried about your company’s compliance or safety, give Hammett Technologies a call! We can give you a free assessment and let you know where you stand against potential threats. When you partner with Hammett Technologies you don’t become a client, you become family.
Sources: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1901.03597.pdf
