Working with business associates to prevent health information breaches requires far more than writing detailed contract terms on privacy and security, says regulatory expert Christopher Hourihan.
Recent hacks have uncovered security vulnerabilities that should have been addressed years ago. "These attacks are going to escalate," says Josh Corman of The 451 Group. But organizations can implement basic steps to make the hackers' job harder.
An unencrypted laptop computer that's missing from the United Kingdom's National Health Service North Central London health authority contained information on 8.63 million people, according to a report on The Sun newspaper's website.
Senate Sergeant at Arms confirms the attack occurred over the weekend and has ordered a review of all Senate computer sites. Hackers' cryptic message suggests they don't like military's intent to use force to combat cyberattacks.
Who's behind the International Monetary Fund breach? Some observers suggest the attack could have been waged by a government to access confidential information about the financial stability of certain global markets.
CEO Jack Tretton didn't minimize the breach, grouping Sony with others that have been hacked in recent weeks. "If you read the newspapers, you realize that there are companies being bombarded with people trying to hack them all the time."
NRC CISO Patrick Howard is among three information security leaders who share their experiences, approaches and challenges from battling data breach incidents that had an impact on their organizations and their careers.
Details surrounding the reported breach of the International Monetary Fund remain sketchy, but alarming. And Gartner analyst Avivah Litan believes there may be "dozens" of similar incidents that have not been disclosed.
If you need one more reason to take additional steps to prevent health information breaches, here's something to consider. An attorney argues that if breaches, and their high costs, are not brought under control, "I think where we are headed is to an insurance crisis."
"This is yet another [incident] in what is turning into a major 'breach streak,' which will make all of us rethink what information security really means," says Mike Urban, senior director of fraud solutions for FICO.
"Eddie also will contribute to product strategy, marketing and technical evangelism for RSA," an RSA spokeswoman says. "This role will leverage Eddie's 20-plus years of security expertise."
Breaches will not slow anytime soon, and there's not much financial institutions and the payments chain can do to stop them. At this point, the best course of action for banks and retailers is to focus on damage control.
Some organizations hesitate to involve law enforcement in their breach investigations for fear that exposing the hack would cost them their reputations and money. A Justice Department contingent tells a gathering of lawyers why that impression is wrong.
When a database breach occurs, consumer notification continues to be a public problem. And it's time for the federal government to step in, says Linda Foley, co-founder of the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center.
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