Watch Your Step!
A new deadly strain of ransomware aimed directly at the healthcare industry is making the rounds. The virus is spread through a Microsoft Word document. According to Proofpoint, a global cybersecurity firm, the virus targets victims with specific, customized messages. In a recent case in the United Kingdom, a hospital was infected when an employee opened an attachment entitled “Patient Report.” The attachment included the hospital’s logo and the email sender was listed as the hospital’s director of information and technology. Very devious.
The ransom letter instructs the user to forward a note to the organization’s IT department in which the hackers explain that the malware is ‘custom developed’ and has no known derypter.
Dozens of hospitals have been hit with this virus, which has cost organizations tens of thousands of dollars in ransom payments and downtime.
What to do to avoid these kinds of nightmares:
Make sure your operating system and browsers are updated to the most current stable versions.
Make sure that the software you run is the latest version available. CaduRx automatically updates so you automatically always have the latest version.
Make sure to back up important files remotely every day, but only on a hard drive that is not connected to the internet. CaduRx backs up all PHI on an ongoing basis to ensure your data is safe and protected.
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever open a suspicious email attachment. And never download an app that you haven’t verified with an actual store.
Finally, antivirus programs have the ability to scan files to see if they might contain ransomware. Make use of them before downloading.
Be careful out there.
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