Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Hospital Lobbyists Press Senator on Online Tracking Limits

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 5, 2023

America's largest hospital lobbying group says Congress should pressure health regulators into retracting a warning that online trackers embedded into patient portals could violate medical privacy law. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is seeking feedback for potential improvements to HIPAA.

Blackbaud Pays $49.5M to Settle With State AGs in Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 5, 2023

Fundraising software powerhouse Blackbaud will pay $49.5 million to settle a multistate investigation into the company's data security practices and its response to a 2020 ransomware attack. The firm must also enhance its security and not misrepresent its data security practices.

Firm Notifies Patients of 55 Health Practices of MOVEit Hack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 4, 2023

Revenue cycle management firm Arietis Health is notifying the patients of 55 healthcare practices across several states that their sensitive information has been potentially compromised in a hack of Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer application. What can entities learn from these breaches?

Group Claims It Stole 2.5 Million Patients' Data in Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 3, 2023

Ransomware-as-a-service gang Alphv/BlackCat claims to have stolen 6 terabytes of data on 2.5 million patients in a recent attack on Michigan-based McLaren Health Care, which operates 13 hospitals and a network of cancer centers. The incident is part of the group's rash of recent attacks.

Some Prospect Medical Hospitals in Dire State, Post-Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  October 2, 2023

An August cyberattack on a national hospital chain may make medical care in underserved areas of Connecticut even harder to obtain now that a would-be buyer said it's having second thoughts about going through with the deal. The Rhysida group claimed responsibility for an attack on Prospect Medical.

Inside Look: FDA's Cyber Review Process for Medical Devices

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 29, 2023

Medical device makers in their premarket submissions to the Food and Drug Administration under the agency's new "refuse to accept" policy for cybersecurity should pay close attention to details such as a product's software bill of materials and vulnerability management, said Jessica Wilkerson of FDA.

Infusion Firm Faces Lawsuit After Hackers Hit Parent Company

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 28, 2023

Specialty infusion company Amerita is facing a proposed federal class action lawsuit in the wake of a March cyberattack on its parent company, PharMerica, which reported a breach affecting nearly 6 million individuals. Amerita recently reported its own breach that affected about 220,000 people.

FDA Finalizes Guidance Just as New Device Cyber Regs Kick In

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 27, 2023

The FDA has issued final guidance on how medical device makers should approach cybersecurity in their products to meet new requirements for including cyber details in their premarket product submissions. Starting Oct. 1, the FDA will "refuse to accept" submissions lacking those details.

US Federal Shutdown 'Dangerous and Irresponsible'

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 26, 2023

A U.S. federal government shutdown would have "immeasurable" damaging effects on the federal government's ability to fight cyberthreats, a top official said Tuesday amid forewarnings that the country should start preparing now for potential cyber interference in the 2024 presidential election.

CommonSpirit Details Financial Fallout of $160M Cyberattack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 25, 2023

Chicago-based CommonSpirit is still waiting to hear back on its insurance claim for an October 2022 ransomware attack, but the hospital chain said disruption of some facilities and "significantly" hampered billing and collection activities contributed to a $1.4 billion operating loss for the year.

Chinese, North Korean Nation-State Groups Target Health Data

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 22, 2023

Chinese and North Korean nation-state groups continue to pose significant "unique threats" to the U.S. healthcare and public health sector, including data exfiltration attacks involving espionage and intellectual property theft, federal authorities warned Thursday in a brief naming the top groups.

Ohio Community College Data Theft Breach Affects Nearly 300K

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 21, 2023

An Ohio community college is notifying 290,000 people of a data theft breach this spring that may have compromised their personal and health information. Security researchers say small schools such as this are now favored targets. Some 80% of schools have reported hacking incidents in the past year.

Feds Warn Health Sector of Lazarus Group Attacks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 20, 2023

Federal authorities are warning of "significant risk" for potential attacks on healthcare and public health sector entities by the North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group involving exploitation of a critical vulnerability in 24 Zoho ManageEngine products.

Cyber Experts Urge House Committee to Avoid Federal Shutdown

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 19, 2023

Cybersecurity experts urged Congress to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1 - the start of the new federal fiscal year - telling a House panel that a lapse would damage efforts to keep the nation secure. Congress has yet to approve funding bills necessary to keep most federal agencies operational.

Why Entities Should Review Their Online Tracker Use ASAP

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  September 19, 2023

Any healthcare organization that embeds tracking technologies in its website should carefully review whether it is inadvertently violating HIPAA or other federal regulations, said Nick Heesters, senior adviser for cybersecurity at the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights.