https://www.channelfutures.com/wp-content/themes/channelfutures_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
Channel Futures
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Technologies
    • Back
    • SDN/SD-WAN
    • Cloud
    • RMM/PSA
    • Security
    • Telephony/UC/Collaboration
    • Cable
    • Mobility & Wireless
    • Fiber/Ethernet
    • Data Centers
    • Backup & Disaster Recovery
    • IoT
    • Desktop
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Analytics
  • Strategy
    • Back
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Channel Research
    • Business Models
    • Distribution
    • Technology Solutions Brokerages
    • Sales & Marketing
    • Best Practices
    • Vertical Markets
    • Regulation & Compliance
  • MSP 501
    • Back
    • Complete 2023 MSP 501 Rankings
    • 2023 MSP 501 50-1
    • 2023 MSP 501 100-51
    • 2023 MSP 501 150-101
    • 2023 MSP 501 200-151
    • 2023 MSP 501 250-201
    • 2023 MSP 501 300-251
    • 2023 MSP 501 350-301
    • 2023 MSP 501 400-351
    • 2023 MSP 501 450-401
    • 2023 MSP 501 501-451
    • NextGen 101 Rankings
  • Intelligence
    • Back
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • From the Industry
    • Reports/Digital Issues
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
  • Channel Futures TV
  • EMEA
  • Channel Chatter
    • Back
    • People on the Move
    • New/Changing Channel Programs
    • New Products & Services
    • Industry Honors
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Channel Futures 20: Top Tech Providers
    • Advisory Boards
    • Industry Organizations
    • Our Sponsors
    • Advertise
    • 2023 Editorial Calendar
  • Awards
    • Back
    • 2023 MSP 501
    • 2023 NextGen 101
    • Channel Influencers
    • Circle of Excellence
    • DE&I 101
    • Technology Advisor 101 (TA 101)
    • Channel Leaders Lists
  • Events
    • Back
    • 2024 CP Expo Call for Speakers
    • Channel Futures Leadership Summit
    • MSP Summit
    • CP Conference & Expo
    • Channel Partners Europe
    • Channel Partners Event Coverage
    • Webinars
    • Industry Events
  • About Us
  • DE&I
    • Newsletter
  • REGISTER
  • MSPs
  • VARs / SIs
  • Agents
  • Cloud Service Providers
  • Channel Partners Events
 Channel Futures

MSSP Insider


ThinkStock

Among the ransomware victims include Britainrsquos National Health Service the WannaCry ransomware attack hit more than 50 hospitals forcing the cancelation of surgeries routine appointments and scansnbsp

Hospital Breach Exposes Sensitive Data on 50,000 Patients

  • Written by Pam Baker
  • January 9, 2020
The breach involved the hacking of employee emails which contained medical data, in violation of HIPAA.

Alomere Health, a nonprofit hospital in Alexandria, Minnesota, reported early this month that a security breach discovered in November that exposed personal and medical data on nearly 50,000 patients. The security incident involved the hacking of two employee email accounts.

The company said that “in an abundance of caution,” it reviewed the emails and attachments in the two breached email accounts where the company discovered “portions” of patient information were contained and thus exposed. How much of the information was viewed and possibly captured by an unauthorized party is yet to be determined.

“Alomere Health stated it will add more security to hospital staff’s email accounts, but I have to wonder why such sensitive information is being stored in an email account in the first place? Email is not a secure means of communication and should not be used for something as sensitive as medical records and Social Security numbers,” said Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate with Comparitech. “Surely hospital staff have a more secure way to share medical data? I doubt sending sensitive medical and personal data in an email attachment is HIPAA-compliant.”

Alomere isn’t the only hospital that has suffered such a breach where sensitive patient data was exposed in emails. One example is last January’s Managed Health Services of Indiana breach wherein 31,000 patients’ data was exposed.

Patient portals were meant to secure communications involving personal and medical data shared between patients and health care professionals. Other technologies such as EMRs and EHRs were also designed to protect patient information and retain HIPAA compliance. It’s more than a little odd to discover any patient data is still being shared via email today — especially in a hospital environment where presumably security protocols are stronger and better enforced than a rural, one-man physician’s office.

MSSPs would be smart to add monitoring employee email and employee educational efforts to their menu of services, if they haven’t already, to prevent email exposures of sensitive patient data.

Comforte's Warren Poschman

Comforte’s Warren Poschman

“In the most recent medical breach at Alomere Health, small and midsize regional providers continue to be a target without abatement. The fundamental issue is how these providers manage data, such as in this case where ‘portions of some patients’ information were contained in the email accounts,’” said Warren Poschman, senior solutions architect at comforte AG. “Regardless of whether the email account was compromised via brute force, social engineering, or the more sophisticated persistent authentication token theft, the focus should be on ensuring that personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) data are never in an email in the first place.”

This particular data breach also underscores the ineffectiveness of many “enhanced email security” programs.

“Enhanced security such as ‘additional security measures for all …employee email accounts’ will not stop these attacks as these measures are simply virtual Band-Aids for our medical records,” said Poschman.

MSSPs that can come up with better ways to control email content as well as email transfers may find this a profitable differentiator from their competitors. Opportunities should be vast given these problems are universal across business verticals and not confined to health care. However, health care is a prime attack target for cyberattacks and thus arguably in greatest need of an innovative fix.

Tags: MSPs Endpoint MSSP Insider Network Security

Most Recent


  • Cisco acquisition of Splunk gets partner reaction
    Partners Hope Splunk Keeps 'Pace of Innovation' in Cisco Acquisition
    All will be well if Cisco integrates Splunk the way it integrated Meraki, a partner told Channel Futures.
  • Cisco's Splunk acquisition a bombshell
    Cisco's Splunk Acquisition 'True Bombshell Move,' Will Have Massive Impact on Cybersecurity
    The combination should present immediate upsell opportunities.
  • SMB, Cisco SMB
    Cisco SMB Business Gets Updated Sales Coverage Model, New Investments
    Cisco partners are marketing to clients that need technology outcomes just as much as the enterprise but lack the same IT staffing.
  • Brand Storytelling
    Learn to Create, Capture and Curate Stories for Your Brand
    The first step is developing your own stories. These are about how your company was formed, who founded it and why it was created.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your Channel Futures account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • White House
    White House to Private Sector SMEs: Get Serious About Cybersecurity
  • zero trust security
    Leveraging Partner Expertise to Build a Zero-Trust Strategy
  • Security Vulnerability
    Older Fortinet Vulnerabilities Lead to Attack on Local Government Office
  • Threats
    Cybersecurity and Threat Protection: MSSPs, Get Your Advice Here

Upcoming Events

View all

Channel Futures Leadership Summit

October 30, 2023 - November 2, 2023

Channel Partners Conference & Expo

March 11, 2024 - March 14, 2024

Channel Futures Leadership Summit 2024

September 17, 2024 - September 19, 2024

Galleries

View all

Broadcom-VMware Hits Snag in China as IT Incurs Too-High Cloud Costs

September 22, 2023

Cisco’s Splunk Acquisition ‘True Bombshell Move,’ Will Have Massive Impact on Cybersecurity

September 21, 2023

Cisco SMB Business Gets Updated Sales Coverage Model, New Investments

September 21, 2023

Industry Perspectives

View all

Why Conversational AI Matters for Your Customers and How It Can Boost Your Revenue

September 15, 2023

The 5 Ds that Lead to Unplanned Business Sales

September 13, 2023

Hot Generative AI Market Must ‘Cool Down’

August 28, 2023

Webinars

View all

MSP 501: Leadership in Cybersecurity

October 19, 2023

DE&I: Find the Balance that Works for You

September 7, 2023

Above and Beyond with the NextGen 101ers

August 30, 2023

White Papers

View all

6 UCaaS Reseller Challenges and How Real World Businesses Solved Them

February 1, 2023

Frost Radar: North American UCaaS Market, 2022

February 1, 2023

The Complete Guide to White-Label UCaaS for Reseller Success

February 1, 2023

Channel Futures TV

View all

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 129: ZLH Enterprises

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 128: Channel Partner Strategies Intelligence Service

August 25, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 127: Expereo, Movie Night Returns

August 18, 2023

Coffee with Craig and James Episode 126: ARG

July 28, 2023

MSP 501

The industry's largest and most comprehensive partner awards program.

Newsletters and Updates

Sign up for The Channel Report, Channel Futures Update, MSP 501 Newsletter and more.

Live Channel Events

Get the latest information on the next industry-leading Channel Partners event.

Galleries

Educational slide shows and images from live events.

Media Kit And Advertising

Want to reach our audience? Access our media kit.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • Channel Partners Events
  • Telecoms.com
  • MSP 501
  • Black Hat
  • IoT World Today
  • Omdia

WORKING WITH US

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter

FOLLOW Channel Futures ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X