John Riggi, the cybersecurity expert for the American Hospital Association (AHA), has been monitoring cyber threats to the AHA’s 5,000+ members and assisting them with important tasks like recovering from ransomware attacks. He has been doing this for the past five years after spending almost three decades investigating threats at the FBI and CIA. Recently, Riggi noticed a significant increase in attacks on hospitals and health systems, including data theft attacks and ransomware attacks that disrupt the hospital’s computer networks.
Attacks on hospitals pose a serious risk to patient safety, especially in urgent cases like stroke or trauma. However, there is some good news. Hospital boards have recognized the severity of these attacks and are investing more in cybersecurity to protect patient safety, finances, and reputation. Additionally, they are exploring strategies to address the workforce shortage of cybersecurity professionals. On the other hand, cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, with the help of AI. Riggi emphasizes the need for more AI in detecting and responding to incidents, but warns that both the “good guys” and “bad guys” are leveraging AI for each side of the cyber arms race.
The AHA is actively working to educate hospital boards and senior leadership on the impact of cyber threats and collaborating with government agencies to strengthen response capabilities. The U.S. government views cyberattacks as threats to national security and public health. For example, high-impact ransomware attacks are not just economic crimes; they are crimes that endanger lives and threaten public health and safety.
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