In addition to the phishing scams discussed in our last blog post, hospitals have begun warning staff members about incoming cyber-attacks focused specifically on healthcare workers. Common attacks include:
- Phishing emails from senders pretending to be a part of well-known organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Phishing emails from senders claiming to be from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
These emails often claim that they are providing vital information about the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Some of these messages include PDF or Word document attachments. Although the sender claims these attachments contain urgent and vital information about new symptoms and treatments, they actually have embedded malicious code that will infect your computer once opened.
Another common type of phishing email circulating around hospitals and healthcare workers comes from senders pretending to have much needed medical supplies. In the emails, they claim deliveries of medical supplies have been stalled or interrupted and require healthcare providers to perform certain actions to ensure delivery. The email body often contains a link that takes the victim to a website that installs malicious code on their computer. This code may be used by the attacker to steal important and/or sensitive data or to corrupt the entire system.
Unfortunately, if downloaded on a hospital’s network, viruses and malware can easily spread from one computer to the next. This can create a massive problem for hospitals that must protect sensitive patient data. In addition to putting data at risk, hospitals can experience problems with billing, accessing patient charts and information, or scheduling appointments. At the very least, this type of attack can severely affect productivity and the level of care healthcare workers are able to provide.
Protect Yourself From Cyber-Attacks!
It may be in the hospital’s best interest to provide training to all staff members on these types of malicious attacks. Healthcare workers should also take the necessary precautions at home to prevent infection to their personal computers.
If you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a cyber-attack, Computer Repair by Marcus can help! We offer remote computer virus detection and removal and computer repair services to businesses and individuals. Please contact us for more information about our services.
