Privacy & Security

Experts say the coronavirus pandemic acts like "blood in the water" for cybercriminals looking to exploit tech vulnerabilities.

The tool, developed by scientists at UT Dallas and Vanderbilt, can help weigh the risks that a person might be identified when their health data is shared with researchers.

Experts say a functioning system should be based on understanding your workforce, your technology and your employee workload – and it should involve everyone in your organization.

The Exposure Notification Privacy Act requires public health officials to be involved with any exposure notification systems and prohibits commercial use of users' data.

Big transitions can present an opportunity to enact security improvements, but they can also make a complicated process even more complex.

The telemedicine vendor doesn't store patient data, explained founder Brandon Welch, and relies on peer-to-peer video-calling software working inside browsers to minimize potential vulnerabilities.

"Cyber criminals will use a time of crisis to cover some of their actions in a very opportunistic way. And so we try to track and match our operations and vigilance to that."

Covered entities and their cloud-service providers both have jobs to do when it comes to protecting hosted patient data – and have to strike a balance deciding who does what.

Intelligence agencies, security firms and Big Tech giants and all ringing alarm bells over the growing threat from cybercriminals in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic – with ransomware attacks, opportunistic phishing threats and other malicious activities all threatening healthcare organizations worldwide.

"Zero trust flips the security model: Instead of 'trust but verify,' organizations 'always verify but never trust,'" one security expert explains.