Beyond Training – You Can’t Stop There. We’ve talked a lot about training lately because it is the single best tool you have to keep your network secure. However, it’s not bulletproof. Two weeks ago Microsoft issued patches for over 85 security weaknesses across all of their Windows operating systems, including patches to close known …
When cybersecurity training isn’t enough – what next? Read More »
Cyberthreats on the rise – what do you do? At a recent discussion in Texas on cybersecurity in healthcare, technology experts were in agreement that cyber threats were increasing and getting more sophisticated. When we consider the options, we can boil them down to two – tighter network lockdowns, and more training. Let’s consider those …
Are You Prepared? Here comes Ian, expecting to hit Florida soon. Use this as a wake-up call to review your own emergency preparedness. Many of you have recently experienced natural disasters. Be it hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or fires, being prepared counts when it matters most. Those of us in the healthcare profession have more to …
The Importance of Patching Most of us know about patch Tuesday – the second Tuesday of every month is when Microsoft releases its software patches. Most IT companies either manually update client systems or have them set to run automatically. Like most software companies, we’re accustomed to regular patch releases to help keep our systems …
EHR & HIPAA A recent report published by Cynergistek presented data showing less than half of the nation’s healthcare institutions comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF). The CSF is a best-practices roadmap for healthcare organizations to align their technologies with both HIPAA and cybersecurity conformity. But digging into the numbers …
EULA, YOU, and HIPAA What do End User License Agreements and HIPAA have to do with each other? According to recent discoveries, a heck of a lot. It turns out apps like Meta’s Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, Tik Tok, and others, are mining your data and activity on an unprecedented scale. Here’s what we know. …
Your apps are your security enemy. Here’s what we’ve recently discovered. Read More »
New HIPAA Guidance Years ago, at a HIPAA conference in DC hosted by NIST, they announced an update to 800-66 would be coming. Almost 10 years later, we now have a draft copy of this paper – 800-66r1. Why is this significant? 800-66 was the most significant guidance the government ever issued on how to …
New HIPAA guidance is on the way, here’s the good and the bad. Read More »
Eleven more fines, are you next? OCR recently announced that 11 more entities were fined for failing to provide timely access to patient records following a patient complaint. This list included mental health practitioners, dentists, and more. This announcement proves 3 things – organizations aren’t getting the message, patients are aware of the requirement, and …
HIPAA and your password. Thanks to NIST, who in 2017 changed their recommended password policy in publication 800-63B, the change/do not change debate has been ongoing. If you aren’t familiar with the publication, here’s a short news video about it – https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-burr-passwords-guidance/ The problem with 90-day password change requirements is that we tend to create simple passwords …
HIPAA and your password policy – are you compliant? Read More »
Vendor Risk MCG Health is a health information services company providing clinical guidelines to hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. They recently reported a breach that had occurred back in 2020, and already lawsuits from their clients are pouring in. Why does this matter to you? For most care providers, the extent of their data …
The lawsuits are flowing in the MCG Health breach. Here’s why it’s bad for you. Read More »