2017's worst healthcare data breaches

Data show hundreds of incidents in the past two years, affecting tens of millions of individuals


Healthcare Analytics News recently posted a review of the worst security incidents of 2017 on its website.

The incidents ranged from WannaCry and NotPetya to targeted attacks and old-fashioned human error, the article said.

Topping the list was WannaCry, a ransomware virus that hit 81 British hospitals and lead to 19,500 canceled medical appointments; locked the computers of 600 general practitioners; and forced five5 hospitals to divert ambulances elsewhere

A targeted attack on Women’s Health Care Group in Pennsylvania exposed 300,000 patient records and made it the year’s third-largest breach. The incident highlighted the need to defend against individual hackers, who may enter through outdated software for expensive, legacy medical equipment whose life spans exceed those of the accompanying operating systems, the article said.

Read the article.

 



January 9, 2018


Topic Area: Security


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