CommonSpirit Health Ransomware Attack

By Greg Sallis

The recent ransomware attack against CommonSpirit Health has caused a stir in the healthcare industry. The attack resulted in a massive data breach, exposing the personal information of thousands of patients and employees.

This incident underscores the importance of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector and how they must prepare organizations to protect sensitive data from malicious actors.

In this blog post, we will discuss the details of the CommonSpirit Health ransomware attack, how they could have prevented it, and the importance of data redaction in mitigating the risks of a similar attack.

What Happened?

CommonSpirit Health operates more than 700 care sites and 142 hospitals in 21 states, providing high-quality healthcare for millions of patients.

On October 5, the organization confirmed an “IT security issue” as a ransomware attack. Threat actors gained access to portions of the network between September 16 and October 3, potentially compromising patient and family members’ data.

The U.S. Department of Health data breach portal confirms that threat actors gained access to the personal data of 623,774 patients. The attackers may have accessed files containing names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and unique ID numbers used internally by the organization. Fortunately, they did not get their hands on medical record numbers or insurance IDs.

CommonSpirit quickly reacted to the attack and mobilized to protect its systems, contain the incident, begin an investigation, and maintain continuity of care. The organization also notified law enforcement and is supporting its ongoing investigation.

How To Prevent This Attack?

What could have CommonSpirit done to avoid this attack? Let’s explore some possibilities.

Update All Systems

One of the most effective preventative measures was to ensure that all systems are up-to-date with the latest security patches and software. They should do this regularly to ensure the patching of any vulnerabilities.

Train Employees On Security Protocols

In addition, it is important to train employees on proper security protocols, including avoiding suspicious emails, using strong passwords, and not using public Wi-Fi networks. These steps could have helped reduce the chances of a successful attack.

Implement Redaction

Finally, organizations should consider redaction to reduce the risk of an attack. Redaction involves masking or removing sensitive data from documents before them sharing publicly. Let’s look more into it.

What is Redaction and Why is It Important?

Redaction is the latest, most effective method to secure data and prevent ransomware attacks. Here are two reasons why it is making massive waves in the data security industry:

Reduces Risk of Exposure

Redaction helps reduce the risk of exposing information to exploitation by those looking to harm. With the increasing prevalence of digital media, organizations need to use redaction to safeguard sensitive material.

Removes Identifying Information

Redaction can help prevent cyberattacks by removing identifying information from documents and emails before sending them. This process ensures hackers won’t be able to access confidential information if they intercept the material.

Redaction: The Future of Ransomware Prevention

Organizations should take steps to train employees on the importance of redaction and how to use it. As we have seen, redaction is as close as we can get to a fool-proof ransomware prevention strategy.

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Dec 21, 2022

Latest Data Breach News Story

By Alisa Fetic The breach of Optus' customer database is the latest data breach story to rock the news. The data breach exposed the personal information of hundreds of thousands of customers, including their names, dates of birth, and phone numbers. As a result, Optus began notifying customers who may have been affected by the breach. On their website, they posted a statement stating that it is collaborating with the Australian Cyber Security Center to reduce any threats to customers. Optus also reported the "strange activities" to the Australian Federal Police, and an investigation was launched to determine who has been accessing the data and for what reason. The company assured its customers that it would provide updates as they become available. They also advised them not to use passports for online identification until the matter is resolved. Optus also notified its customers to be alert for any fraudulent activity they detected. Furthermore, they should secure their online accounts using two-factor authentication and unique, complicated passwords. But how could this data breach have been prevented? How Optus Could Prevent Data Security Breaches Redaction Redaction is a way to hide sensitive information from the public view. It is commonly used in the legal and financial industries to protect confidential information that criminals or competitors may use. Redaction is also used to release information about a client, such as names and addresses, to prevent cyber criminals from learning more about them. The process can be done manually by hand-writing over the original document or electronically by using computer software like Objective Redact or CaseGuard. More Ways Optus Could Prevent Data Security Breaches Install Firewall Software A firewall protects from hackers by blocking unauthorized attempts to access or modify network data or control systems. It also prevents intruders from using your computer as an entry point into the network or accessing sensitive files on it. There are two types of firewall software: hardware-based and software-based. Hardware-based firewalls include routers and switches that protect the entire network by restricting all traffic passing through it. Software-based firewalls run on a single computer and can be set up at home or in business premises to separate work and private networks. Encrypt All Customer Data Encryption is a process that transforms plain text into cipher text. This transformation prevents someone from viewing or accessing your data without the proper key needed to decrypt it. In this way, if a hacker were to break into your system and steal passwords, they would not be able to access any other information in the system because all their passwords would be encrypted with that one key. Encrypting client information helps prevent hackers from gaining access to them while being transmitted between servers and users in a network. Limit Employee Access to Crucial Company Data To do this, businesses can implement policies limiting how much access each employee has to critical company data. These policies may include: A password policy : Allowing employees to log in with a password rather than using their name and social security number (or other personally identifiable information) as their username will help ensure that no unauthorized person can access your system. Wrap-Up On Optus's Data Breach Data breaches can have a devastating effect on affected companies, not to mention their customers. In reality, they are one of the biggest threats to the corporate world, yet many companies lack a sufficient defense against them. All it takes is one mistake to let a hacker in, and they can wreak havoc on your data. Companies should take caution by using measures like redaction to ensure their client's data is safe.

Nov 15, 2022