Organizations attacked with ransomware have a bevy of decisions to make, very quickly! One of those decisions is whether to pay the ransom. Earlier this year, I had the honor of contributing to a two-part series, entitled Ransomware: To pay or not to pay? (Part 1 and Part 2). Joined by Danielle Gardiner
FBI
FBI/CISA Alert: Increased Likelihood of Ransomware Attacks Over Labor Day Weekend
Watch out! A spike in ransomware attacks may be headed our way over Labor Day weekend. Yesterday, the FBI jointly with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning to be on high alert for ransomware attacks this weekend, after recent targeted attacks over Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.…
Beware, Persons Posing as OCR Investigators Demand PHI, Says OCR Alert
On April 3, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued an alert to covered entities and business associates. Evidently, one or more individuals are posing as OCR Investigators and contacting HIPAA covered entities and business associates in an attempt to obtain protected health information (PHI). The individual identifies on the telephone as an OCR investigator,…
Small Michigan Medical Practice To Close Following Ransomware Attack
Small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) continue to be targeted by ransomware, phishing and other cyberattacks; the consequences of which could be devastating. Those consequences include putting SMEs out of business, which is unfortunately the case for one small medical practice in Battle Creek, Michigan, as reported by HIPAAJournal.
The reality is that the effects…
You’re Gonna Need a Warrant for That….
On June 22, 2018, in Carpenter v. United States, the United States Supreme Court decided that the federal government would need a warrant in order to obtain historical location data from cellular service providers, based on cell tower “pings.” (“Pings” are more formally referred to as cell-site location information or “CLSI.”) As explained in…
FTC Joins Other Agencies In Warning Organizations About Ransomware
Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) blogged about How to defend against ransomware, and published Ransomware – A Closer Look in the “Tips and Advice” section of its website. This follows warnings from other federal agencies and law enforcement concerning this serious online threat to organizations, such as Dept. of Health and…
Haiti Charity Fraud – FBI Guidelines To Donate With Care
We all are deeply saddened by the tragic situation in Haiti. Many are motivated to help in any way they can, which usually means donating to charities that are able to more effectively bring relief to the suffering. At the same time, many see this as an opportunity to commit identity theft.