A new wave of cybercriminals, dubbed “advanced persistent teenagers,”[1] is putting healthcare organizations in their crosshairs. Armed with social engineering tactics and a hunger for data—and ransom—they’re breaching systems, disrupting care, and leaving lasting damage.
Errol Weiss, chief security officer for the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC), tells MDLinx that while there’s certainly some truth to fears about the growing base of younger hackers motivated by the thrill of the attack, “I do ultimately feel that, largely, there’s a monetary goal that they’re really after.”
Weiss agrees that “there could be very negative consequences to human life” with cyberattacks, especially if patients end up forgoing needed care due to the issue. “People may sit at home and say, well, I’ll just deal with this later and get care at some other time,” he says. “And we all know delaying needed medical care could be a contributing factor for further complications later.”
