March Updates:

Cybersecurity: Health Sector Publishes Guide for Coordinating Privacy and Security Partnerships
On February 16, the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) Cybersecurity Working Group published a guide for health providers and companies to coordinate privacy and cybersecurity functions for improved overall compliance and operational efficiencies and effectiveness. It is found here: healthsectorcouncil.org.
Cyersecurity Guide for Health Providers and Company

​Cybersecurity: HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles Second Ever Ransomware Cyber-Attack
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), announced the second ever settlement under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) following a ransomware attack that affected the protected health information of more than 14,000 individuals. Ransomware and hacking are the primary cyber-threats in health care. Over the past five years, there has been a 256% increase in large breaches reported to OCR involving hacking and a 264% increase in ransomware. In 2023, hacking accounted for 79% of the large breaches reported to OCR. The large breaches reported in 2023 affected over 134 million individuals, a 141% increase from 2022.
Read the Full Press Release from the HHS

​Cybersecurity: Joint Cybersecurity Advisory Recommends Action to Defend Ivanti VPN Gateways from Compromise
U.S. and international agencies urged health care and other critical infrastructure organizations using Ivanti Connect Secure VPN and Ivanti Policy Secure to take certain steps to defend against known cyber threats that Ivanti’s Integrity Checker Tool may fail to detect.
Read the full Joint Cybersecurity Advisory.


​American Medical Association (AMA): Recent Cyber Attacks, Ransomware Trends, and Cybersecurity Threats for Doctors
The latest episode of the AMA Update podcast discusses what is cybersecurity in the health care industry, how common ransomware attacks are on hospitals, and how artificial intelligence is used in cyber security. 
Listen to the full podcast episode from AMA.