The Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) industry has long been a target for cybercrime. In particular, hospitals continue to be crippled by ransomware attacks. With patient lives and health services at risk, help with these devastating attacks has been desperately needed. And now, that help has arrived with a cybersecurity “toolkit.”
The Biden administration created the toolkit in partnership with Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It’s a multi-pronged strategy for HPH organizations by offering resources, training and information, and practical expertise on cybersecurity. According to the CISA website, collaboration, sharing information and staying informed are what this toolkit is all about.
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Those in the HPH industry are best served going directly to the CISA website for details on best cybersecurity practices. Since prevention is foremost avoiding cyberattacks, the toolkit website recommends HPH organizations use the following steps.
- OBSERVE the activity
- ACT by taking local steps to mitigate the threat
- REPORT the event
As long as hospital services, providers, and their computer systems are forced to shut down during and after attacks, patient care and lives stay at risk. The bullseye on healthcare, especially with ransomware attacks, exists because the threats to patient lives often translate to quick ransom payments. This cybersecurity toolkit is a great resource helping HPH providers and the industry at large keep the focus on what’s most important – patient health and information security.
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