2017 Midyear Cybersecurity Report: Top takeaways for healthcare defenders

Imagine your worst nightmare: Your healthcare facility is hit with a ransomware attack (like WannaCry or Nyetya), forcing patient care to come to a grinding halt. Now imagine that you’re unable to recover from this attack, because it also took down every system in your organization, including the ones you thought were your safety nets.

According to the Cisco 2017 Midyear Cybersecurity Report, this is an entirely feasible scenario. In fact, it’s the next big thing in cybercrime.

DeOS and other threats to look out for

Our security experts warn that newer, evolving exploits will be designed not just to attack but to completely incapacitate their target. We’ve even coined a name for this tactic: DeOS (destruction of service).

You can read all about this threat—including strategies for reducing your risk—in the full midyear report. And while DeOS might be the headline news, the report also holds a wealth of information on other security topics: business email compromise, spyware, Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities, and cloud risks, just to name a few.

Healthcare professionals will want to pay special attention to the section devoted to our industry, starting on page 76. There, you can learn about cybersecurity challenges specific to healthcare, such as traffic segmentation for devices, the prevalence of un-investigated security alerts, and personnel shortages. This section, plus the rest of the report, is can’t-miss reading for any modern defender of the healthcare cyberspace.