By Vrushab Gowda
Our health information infrastructure is highly susceptible to cyber attacks. At the time of writing, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is actively investigating over 700 major breaches over the past 24 months alone.
It is incumbent upon our institutions to proactively guard against these threats, with our federal government leading the charge.
By Jenna Becker
Last week, widespread ransomware attacks against hospital systems forced several hospitals to go offline.
Despite the growing risk of cyberattacks against hospitals, the health care industry has been left to address this issue on their own. Ransomware attacks, named for the fee that these malicious viruses attempt to extract, can be very challenging to address, involving complex cybersecurity protocols.
Unfortunately, many hospitals lack the resources and the time required to prevent this malware from spreading. The government has provided minimal resources to hospital systems looking to enhance their cybersecurity. Resource-strapped hospitals require significant government support to address the growing threat of ransomware.