DON'T CLICK THAT LINK.
It seems that every day you’re hearing of a new cyber-attack to hit a large company. These cyber-attacks are happening frequently in healthcare databases too, resulting in your information being held in a ransomware’s data encryption. This malware will prevent organizations from being able to enter specific parts of their system. The ransomware typically works one of two ways. It either works to prevent you from accessing important data or encrypts it entirely, jeopardizing your data security. How do you then get your data back? Fork over your wallet… and that’s not even a guarantee that you will see your data again.
So, you already clicked it... Now what?
In 2016, MedStar Health suffered from a ransomware attack where the hackers were demanding Bitcoin payment to return their data back to them. Because of this attack, MedStar ending up having to turn patients away because they could not view their necessary information. They also experienced severe delays in delivering important laboratory test results. As you can imagine, this resulted in loss of revenue, as it took longer than three weeks to get everything back and running.
Even so, MedStar Health was one of the lucky ones of many that have occurred in the past year. They recovered all their data and private information access, without anything being lost. This is not the case for all ransomware attacks. Many hackers put an expiration date on the data lock and when it expires, if you have not paid, your data could be lost forever. The effects that would have on a large hospital is catastrophic.
Ransomware is not a new thing, but it is rising in the healthcare industry due to the sheer volumes of sensitive data that can be affected. This rise is causing stakeholders to take notice and to start tightening their data security measures within hospitals and clinics.
Having a data backup may save you.
One of the ways ransomware effects can be lessened is by having a backup plan intact. If an organization comes under attack, they would no longer have to shut down entirely, but could pull data from backup storage.
Extract Systems can help prevent your data from being locked. The software looks at your health records and routes them to your EMR while duplicating and sending the documents to a new location. Whether the new location be on an entirely different server or alternate folder in your downstream workflow, this data is now separate and available to access.
To learn more about how Extract can help assure your data is secure and your private information won't be in the hands of someone else, reach out to us for a free personalized demo of our software.
About the Author: Kari Siegenthaler
Kari Siegenthaler is a Marketing Specialist for the Marketing Department at Extract. Kari attained her Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications and convergent media at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Wearing the “hat of all trades,” she has an unusual, hybrid ability to write narratives, creatively craft meaningful messages, and design graphically compelling images. Kari is passionate about effective communication and developing strategy plans that allow Extract to succeed and excel way beyond their goals.