Healthcare Information Security Podcast

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report offers an analysis of the missteps that led to problems with the app used in this week's Democratic presidential caucuses in Iowa. Also featured: growing privacy concerns about facial recognition and business continuity tips for dealing with the coronavirus.

The coronavirus statistics are dizzying - as of Thursday, there were more than 28,000 infections and about 560 deaths. But the key stat to watch is the mortality rate, currently 2 percent, says pandemic expert Regina Phelps. How that number changes will dictate how business continuity leaders must respond.

As health data privacy concerns heat up to a boiling point on multiple fronts, it's more essential than ever that patients get a clear opportunity to make a choice about whether their data is shared, says privacy advocate Twila Brase, who heads the Citizens' Council for Health Freedom.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses the ramifications of the U.K's decision to allow limited use of Huawei's equipment in 5G networks. Plus: Updates on Wawa's stolen card data offered for sale and nascent security threats from social networks and drones.

Dave DeWalt, former CEO of FireEye and McAfee, has been appointed vice chair of the board of Onapsis, a vendor focused on securing business-critical applications. In this exclusive interview, DeWalt opens up on application vulnerabilities, the evolution of the nation-state threat and technologies to watch in 2020.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report offers an analysis of fresh details on the hacking of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' iPhone. Also featured: an update on Microsoft's exposure of customer service records; a hacker's take on key areas of cyber hygiene.

In light of rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the Association of Executives in Healthcare Information Security recently issued new data security guidance to help the healthcare sector prepare for potential nation-state attacks, says CISO Christopher Frenz, one of the document's authors.

Could satellites play a role in distributing next-generation encryption keys? Robert Bedington, CTO and co-founder at Singapore-based SpeQtral, describes quantum communications via satellites in this in-depth interview.

Deception technology is evolving as a powerful asset in the cybersecurity arsenal, providing significant advantages in being able to monitor an attacker's behavior, says Joseph Krull, senior analyst at Aite Group.

Recent alerts from federal regulators about patching vulnerabilities in the Windows 10 operating system highlight the importance of strong, ongoing patch management practices for healthcare organizations, says former CISO Mark Johnson.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses why Britain is struggling to determine whether to use China's Huawei technology in developing its 5G networks. Plus: An update on a mobile app exposing infant photos and videos online and an analyst's take on the future of deception technology.

While secure coding has always been an imperative, in a cloud-based environment, BMC Software's Rick Bosworth says it is especially critical since the liability does not rest with cloud services providers for secure configuration.

Five years ago, cybersecurity executive Dave Merkel called upon enterprises to shed their "peacetime" mindsets and adopt a "wartime" stance against persistent cybercriminals and nation-state actors. How have they risen to that challenge?

In light of recent ransomware and other cyberattacks against vendors serving numerous healthcare organizations, it's critical to develop and deploy comprehensive vendor risk management programs, says John Farley of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a provider of cyber insurance.

After a data breach, if individuals' stolen information is offered for sale on the dark web, that potentially bolsters class action lawsuits filed by plaintiffs against the breached organization, says technology attorney Steven Teppler of the law firm Mandelbaum Salsburg P.C.

Is it possible that a nation-state actor such as Iran could create a cybersecurity incident that compromises the U.S. power grid? Bernie Cowens, most recently CISO at the nation's largest electric utility, says that's unlikely because the power grid is more cybersecure than you might think.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses "Orwellian" surveillance activity in 2020 via the ToTok app. Also featured: the controversy over enabling law enforcement to circumvent encryption; the cyberattack risks posed by IoT devices.

Researchers are attempting to develop new forms of cryptography that could not be cracked by powerful quantum computing devices that are in the works. Divesh Aggarwal, principal investigator at Singapore's Center for Quantum Technologies, describes the efforts.

Healthcare organizations need to carefully assess whether data they hold falls under the scope of the California Consumer Privacy Act, says attorney Anne Kimbol, assistant general counsel of HITRUST - especially now that the regulation's Jan. 1 compliance deadline has hit.

As tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to rise, healthcare organizations need to exercise extra vigilance in shoring up their security to defend against potential Iranian cyberattacks on critical infrastructure sectors, says Errol Weiss of the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center.