Published: December 17, 2022 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.
The FBI has focused its attention on a specific subset of cybercrimes happening against healthcare organizations in the nation. These attacks are starting to impact significant portions of the healthcare sector and it has become important to alert those in these situations. A group of individuals targeting healthcare organizations, called the Daixin Team has been actively releasing ransomware into these organizations. This includes getting their grubby paws on key healthcare information and then using it to hold it in exchange for a payout.
Because ransomware is still a menace to all organizations, it’s important look at protective solutions against the implementation of this ransomware. Mainly, this means keep the eyes and ears open for phishing.
Yes, ears count too when knowing who may be phishing for information. Phishing is no longer limited to email, but also may come via the phone (called vishing). If you get a phone call asking for personally identifying information (PII) or other sensitive information, especially if the caller makes you feel as if the situation is urgent, don’t give them anything. Hang up.
Of course, as was also recently reported by the FBI, smishing for sensitive information is on the rise too. Traditional phishing is always a risk, so don’t open attachments or click links from unknown senders or that you are not expecting. Of course, typos and poor grammar are also big clues.
Based on the information sourced by the FBI, there have been 649 ransomware attacks and these have come across a wide array of healthcare sectors. This illustrates the importance of getting on top of these things as ransomware attacks are rising.
To help mitigate the risks, the FBI is urging all healthcare organizations to have backups for their data and they are kept offline. There also should be an up-to-date response strategy for these situations.
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