A massive data breach hit one of the country’s largest education software providers. According to EducationWeek, PowerSchool provides school software products to more than 16,000 customers, largely K-12 schools, that serve 50 million students in the United States. According to reports, PowerSchool informed customers that, on December 28, 2024, PowerSchool became aware of
ransomware
Patient’s Request for Records Uncovers Dental Practice’s Ransomware Attack, Leading to $350K Settlement
The Indiana Attorney General Office (OAG) filed a detailed complaint on December 23, 2024 (Complaint) which arose out of the following patient complaint:
The OAG received a consumer complaint stating that the consumer had contacted Arlington Westend Dental on multiple occasions to receive copies of their x-rays, but Arlington Westend Dental stated it no longer…
Key Takeaways for Healthcare Providers Following HHS OCR’s Most Recent Ransomware Investigation
Announcing its fourth ransomware cybersecurity investigation and settlement, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) also observed there has been a 264% increase in large ransomware breaches since 2018.
Here, the OCR reached an agreement with a medium-size private healthcare provider following a ransomware attack relating to potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule.
Privacy Versus Cyber – What is the Bigger Risk?
“Cybersecurity” has emerged as one of top risks facing organizations. Considering the steady stream of massive data breaches affecting millions (sometimes billions), the debilitating effects of ransomware on an organization’s information systems, the intrigue of international threat actors, and the mobilization and collaboration of national law enforcement to thwart these attacks, it’s no wonder. Notions…

Insights From The IBM 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report
The annual Cost of a Data Breach Report (Report) published by IBM is reliably full of helpful cybersecurity data. This year is no different. After reviewing the Report, we pulled out some interesting data points. Of course, the Report as a whole is well worth the read, but if you don’t have the time to…

Hospital Mergers Double the Risk of a Data Breach, Study Shows
The healthcare sector is a prime target for data breaches. According to a summary by the HIPAA Journal, 32% of all data breaches between 2015 and 2022 were in the healthcare sector, “almost double the number recorded in the financial and manufacturing sectors.” Industry analysts cite to many reasons for this, including the sensitivity…

Cyber Safety Review Board Issues Compelling Report about Lapsus$, MFA Vulnerabilities, and Helpful Recommendations
The Cyber Safety Review Board (Board) issued a report entitled, Review of the Attacks Associates with Lapsus$ and Related Threat Groups (Report), released by the Department of Homeland Security on August 10, 2023. The Report begins with a message from the Board’s Chair and Vice Chair discussing WarGames, a movie with interesting parallels to…
A New Low For Hackers – Threatening to Disclose Patient Medical, Mental Health Records as Ransom for Payment
Ransomware is a scary term for many business leaders and CISOs who dread being hit with a malware attack that locks up their data and could shut down operations. They expect to find that oddly-worded ransom note advising how they could recover access to their data, for a sizable fee of course. For a variety…
Top Ten for 2023 – Happy Data Privacy Day!
To celebrate Data Privacy Day, we present our top ten data privacy and cybersecurity predictions for 2023.
1. Healthcare and Medical Data Security and Tracking
The healthcare industry has been facing increased scrutiny for the protection of healthcare information both online and on apps.
2023 will see a significant increase in the number of lawsuits…
North Carolina Prohibits Public Sector Entities from Paying Ransom in a Ransomware Cyberattack
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…