Federal Government Warns Against Cyberthreats to U.S. Health Systems

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a new warning that the invasion happening in the Russia/Ukraine region may increase the risk of cyberattacks in the U.S. health system. 

“Every organization in the United States is at risk from cyberthreats that can disrupt essential services and potentially result in impacts to public safety,” said members from CISA in the alert.

The warning from CISA recommends all organizations step up efforts to reduce the chances of a Russian cyberattack, like using a catalog of free services that provide steps health care systems can take to quickly detect and respond to a potential intrusion and maximize back up procedures.

The guidance from CISA also extends to CEOs, corporate leaders and consumers who can participate in shielding us from cyberattacks by testing response plans, using password protection tools like FIDO key and avoiding phishing emails or links which are not recognized. 

Prior to Russia’s attack against Ukraine, destructive malware was deployed by the Russian military to render Ukraine computer systems inoperable.

According to recent data, Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center disclosed that malware known as WhisperGate was used to target organizations in Ukraine in January. At the end of February, a malware known as HermeticWiper was also used to cause boot failures.

John Riggi, the national adviser for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association, said that nearly 5,000 members of the AHA have been warned about possible cyberattacks and both small critical access hospitals and the largest systems are being probed and scanned from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. 

“The primary concern is not a direct attack, but health care becoming collateral damage from a cyberattack in Ukraine,” Riggi warned in statement. “They are not going to send bombers over here to bomb Wall Street, but they might send malware.” 

In 2021, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a report that found ransomware attacks on hospital system networks can result in inaccessible patient schedules and records, disrupted communication and delays in processing and communicating test results.

The report found that although no deaths have occurred in any U.S. hospitals that were directly attributed to cyberattacks, a hospital’s relative performance indicates reduced capacity and worsened health outcomes.

This includes things like surgery delays and cancellations, closures of COVID-19 testing sites, inability to submit radiology imaging or a loss of communication between hospitals in a network. 

One such incident occurred in 2020, when the University of Vermont Health Network experienced ransomware attacks that delayed cancer treatments. Increased usage of virtual care during the pandemic has opened up more opportunities for new cyberattacks. 

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