Dive Brief:
- With more and more healthcare organizations becoming targets of cyberattacks, HHS is awarding $350,000 to help facilities respond to network breaches.
- HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology awarded a cooperative agreement totaling $250,000 to Ormond Beach, FL-based National Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center to provide cybersecurity information and education on cyber threats to industry stakeholders.
- NH-ISAC got a second cooperative agreement from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to develop an infrastructure capable of securely disseminating information about cyber threats. That award is for $100,000.
Dive Insight:
Hospitals have been hit hard by cyber and ransomware attacks this year. In August, Banner Health revealed that hackers may have accessed payment data for 3.7 million individuals using point-of-sale systems at it affiliated food vendors. Later that month, Bon Secours Health System notified more than 650,000 patients that their personal information may have been breached. Other recent victims of cyberattacks include Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and MedStar Health.
According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, the incidence of healthcare-related cyberattacks grew 125% between 2010 and 2015. Last year, the 91% of healthcare organizations and 59% of affiliated businesses suffered a data breach, at an average cost of $3.8 million per attack.
Cyber criminals are likely to keep up their attacks as long as vulnerabilities in network security exist. Aaron Miri, CIO and vice president of government relations at Imprivata, says a single medical record can sell for up to $300 on the dark net.
The FDA is also focusing on ways to improve cybersecurity of medical devices and software, naming it a top regulatory science priority for 2017.