DEVELOPING: Cyber Attack disrupts hospitals and healthcare across five states

[1LoverofGod]

A cyberattack has disrupted hospital computer systems in several states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted, and many primary care services remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it.

The “data security incident” began Thursday at facilities operated by Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has hospitals and clinics there and in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

“Upon learning of this, we took our systems offline to protect them and launched an investigation with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists,” the company said in a statement Friday. “While our investigation continues, we are focused on addressing the pressing needs of our patients as we work diligently to return to normal operations as quickly as possible.”

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DEVELOPING: Cyber Attack disrupts hospitals and healthcare across five states

A cyberattack has disrupted hospital computer systems in several states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted, and many

endtimeheadlines.org

 

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This from AP News:

MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) — Hospitals and clinics in several states on Friday began the time-consuming process of recovering from a cyberattack that disrupted their computer systems, forcing some emergency rooms to shut down and ambulances to be diverted.
Many primary care services at facilities run by Prospect Medical Holdings remained closed on Friday as security experts worked to determine the extent of the problem and resolve it.
John Riggi, the American Hospital Association’s national advisory for cybersecurity and risk, said the recovery process can often take weeks, with hospitals in the meantime reverting to paper systems and humans to do things such as monitor equipment and run records between departments.

(more):

A cyberattack has disrupted hospitals and health care in several states

A cyberattack has affected computers at hospitals in multiple states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted.

apnews.com

 

[mattfivefour]

More proof (as if more were necessary) of how vulnerable our society is. With the almost total reliance of our infrastructure on technology, it will take very little to incapacitate our critical systems and to hamstring our protective forces.

 

[1LoverofGod]

More proof (as if more were necessary) of how vulnerable our society is. With the almost total reliance of our infrastructure on technology, it will take very little to incapacitate our critical systems and to hamstring our protective forces.

Twice I've received notices from providers that their systems had been "hacked" and that my medical and personal information has been stolen from the hackers

One of those times the provider "offered" to provide more security for my records "for a fee".
I said "What?!!", For a fee?

I would think it's the providers responsibility to make sure my medical records and personal information is secure. To charge me for securing my records in their computer system is preposterous.

And "they" want everything to go digital?

 

[....]

Twice I've received notices from providers that their systems had been "hacked" and that my medical and personal information has been stolen from the hackers

One of those times the provider "offered" to provide more security for my records "for a fee".
I said "What?!!", For a fee?

I would think it's the providers responsibility to make sure my medical records and personal information is secure. To charge me for securing my records in their computer system is preposterous.

And "they" want everything to go digital?

Under federal law, it is their responsibility to protect that info under HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). By letting the hackers get into their systems (whether by commission or omission), that's a violation of HIPPA on the hospital's part. It goes against not only HIPPA, but against the training for securing sensitive data under COMPTIA's (COMPuter Trade Industries Association) A+ Certification requirements. It's also an offense that opens them up to civil litigation:

HIPAA Fines for Getting Hacked? Yes, It Can Happen.

Data breaches are on the rise, and many hackers are targeting medical records. A report conducted by Accenture estimates that one in thirteen patients will experience the theft of their personal information. This can result in financial loss for the patients, who can become victims of medical...

www.heffins.com

Can I Sue if My Information Was Leaked in a Data Breach?

Knowing how to secure your accounts is vital if your information is leaked in a data breach. Keep reading to learn more.

www.lalegalsolution.com

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Class action lawsuit comes to mind. The "for-a'fee" notice/offer would be an "interesting" document to produce in court.