Tag: patient data
Healthcare attack exposes 200,000 Los Angeles patient records
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has been breached by a cyber-attack that has compromised the personal information of over 200,000 private individuals. This is the latest breach in a series of major cyber-attacks on the healthcare sector. As with so many breaches, the Los Angeles County breach was the result of a phishing attack aimed at unsuspecting staff. The attack enabled a hacker to gain the log-in credentials of 53 public health employees and subsequently compromised the personal information of 200,000 patients. According to the LA County Department of Public Health: “The information identified in the potentially compromised e-mail accounts may have included DPH clients/employees/other individuals’ first and last name, date of birth, diagnosis, prescription, medical record number/patient ID, Medicare/Med-Cal number, health insurance information, Social Security Number, and other financial information.”
EPA Issues Warning for US Drinking Water Systems – May 21st
On Monday, May 20th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a warning, urging water utility systems in the US to take action to prevent vulnerabilities. The EPA says 70% of water systems inspected don't fully comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act requirements, stating that some have "critical cyber vulnerabilities" such as default passwords that may be easily compromised.
‘INC Ransom’ Group Threatens to Release NHS Data – March 28th
The 'INC Ransom' ransomware group publicly threatened to release three terabytes of NHS Scotland sensitive patient and staff data, after publishing a smaller sample size proving the viability of the threat. NHS Dumfries and Galloway's efforts to prevent the attack from being repeated are underway in collaboration with Police Scotland and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
BlackCat gives go-ahead for healthcare attacks
Following actions taken against the infamous BlackCat ransomware group in December by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the cybercriminal gang has warned it is taking off the gloves in its fight with law enforcement. BlackCat previously took pride in regularly announcing that it does not encourage or support affiliates who target crucial sectors such as healthcare. But this approach has changed radically since the end of 2023. “Since mid-December 2023, of the nearly 70 leaked victims, the healthcare sector has been the most commonly victimized. This is likely in response to the ALPHV Blackcat administrator’s post encouraging its affiliates to target hospitals after operational action against the group and its infrastructure in early December 2023,” said the FBI.
$80M in Crypto Stolen from Orbit Chain Cyberattack – January 3rd
Orbit Chain revealed to its users that as a result of a cyber attack, $84.5M worth of Ethereum and DAI (cryptocurrencies) were illicitly transferred to seven wallet addresses on the 1st of January. Orbit Chain is now coordinating with the Korean National Police Agency and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) to find the threat actors behind the cyber attacks, and to further protect its customers' crypto wallets.
Fraudulent LinkedIn Profiles Targeting Saudi Workers for Corporate Data Leaks – December 12th
Revealed in a presentation at last month's Black Hat Middle East and Africa conference, was a corporate information leak tactic targeting Saudi Arabian workers using fraudulent LinkedIn profiles. The LinkedIn attacks start with fraudulent accounts pretending to be Muslim women in their 20s who say they work in Southeast Asia. Once the connection is made, attempts to harvest sensitive corporate information through long, seemingly legitimate professional conversations ensue.