On October 28, 2020, a joint cybersecurity advisory was issued by multiple federal agencies, warning hospitals and other healthcare providers of an imminent threat from cyber criminals seeking to infect their computer networks with ransomware designed to lock the owners out of the system and hold it hostage for financial gain.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued this warning to ensure that hospitals and healthcare providers take timely precautions to protect their network from these threats. Healthcare providers are encouraged to review their ransomware mitigation plans and policies to ensure that they are taking the necessary steps to prevent becoming a victim of such an attack and to ensure that they are prepared to manage such an attack should they fall victim.

The CISA, FBI, and HHS view it as critically important that healthcare providers train staff on how to respond should a facility’s computer network become inaccessible for an extended period of time. Additional recommended best practices for mitigation efforts include but are not limited to:

Maintaining and regular testing an offline, encrypted backup of critical data.
Creating, maintaining, and exercising a basic cyber incident response plan.
Developing a risk management plan that maps critical health services and care to the necessary information systems.
Planning for the possibility of critical information systems being inaccessible for an extended period of time, including:
- Print and properly store/protect hard copies of digital information that would be required for critical patient healthcare.
- Plan for and periodically train staff to handle the re-routing of incoming/existing patients in an expedient manner if information systems were to abruptly and unexpectedly become unavailable.

The complete advisory from the CISA, FBI, and HHS contains detailed technical information regarding the malware coding that is being utilized in these attacks and is available at the following link: https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-302a. It also includes reference guides from the CISA to assist in creating cyber incident response plans and risk management plans. It is recommended that all health care providers have their IT department review the advisory to ensure that they are taking the necessary steps to prevent their network from becoming infected.

Should you have any questions regarding this advisory, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our Post-Acute Care Practice.

Any information included here or through our web site is presented solely for general informational purposes and is not in any way intended as legal advice, is not a substitute for getting actual legal advice from an attorney, and should not be acted upon as legal advice without first seeking qualified professional counsel specific to your needs and situation. Additionally, by providing this general information and the information on our web site, no attorney client relationship is created.

Authored by Michael Kern

Cybercrime Alert - U.S. Hospitals and Healthcare Providers Targeted in Anticipated Ransomware Attack

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