New study shows progress, illuminates continued trouble spots The results of this year’s HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey indicate health care provider organizations are taking greater than anticipated steps to enhance their cybersecurity programs. Key findings among the organizations surveyed include: 75 percent have some type of insider threat management program. 85 percent conduct a risk assessment…
Just because a product or company calls itself “smart” doesn’t mean it actually is. I recently received a promotional email from a company selling a “smart firewall.” It was built, the marketing said, to protect connected devices. Out of curiosity, I visited the website where, not too surprisingly, I didn’t find any type of security…
New trends in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are emerging every day. Are you in the know? DDoS attacks can be carried out by a variety of criminals, ranging from individual hackers to organized crime rings and government agencies. In general, however, the crooks’ methods are the same: Use multiple compromised computer systems to attack a…
Former President Obama said, “If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost.” By that standard, we may be in trouble. A report released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in September found…
When the world learned of the WPA2 Wi-Fi vulnerability, some shrugged it off as “just another security flaw.” Here’s why ignoring this one is a big mistake. Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) is the current industry standard. That’s right, the standard. In other words, it’s everywhere. WPA2 networks, in fact, are what most of our…
In my last post, I shared five tests to evaluate partners on data security and privacy. Continuing on that theme, this post highlights best practices for companies of all sizes in all industries to protect their own client data. The recent Wells Fargo breach was the result of human error. It was also an indicator…
An old security adage goes something like this: “You’re only as secure as your weakest link.” This came to mind recently as I was interviewed by InsuranceNewsNet.com for an article on evaluating client data security in the wake of the Wells Fargo breach. While the importance of companies having their own data security and privacy…
The following is an excerpt of an article I wrote that first appeared on the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) website. The day has arrived. A Wisconsin-based tech company will soon offer its employees microchip implants. The company expects to chip more than 50 employees, allowing them to access technology with just a…
Any time you’re collecting data from your patients, you have to think about the systems you’re using for that collection – and who can see it in the process. You know your organization needs to keep its patient data secured on your servers. But what about all the other places where your patients are entering…
A new federal resource can help smaller health care organizations get a better handle on their information security practices – and it may reveal gaps that need your attention now. New week, new cyberattacks in the headlines – right? The past few months have seen a marked increase in the number of large-scale attacks designed…
