{"id":8781,"date":"2022-05-20T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/transfusionontario.org\/?p=8781"},"modified":"2024-07-25T09:47:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T13:47:38","slug":"may-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/transfusionontario.org\/en\/may-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Password Managers can Help Protect your Hospital Network from Cyber Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Andrew Duyvestyn, Information Technology Analyst
Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cyber security in healthcare networks is increasingly important; the recent cyberattack on the Newfoundland and Labrador (N.L.) healthcare system is being referred to as the worst in Canadian history [1], and hospital networks in Ontario such as Humber River Hospital [2], Listowel, and Wingham [3] have also been victims of recent attacks. The cyberattack in N.L. alone resulted in thousands of medical procedures being cancelled [4]. While vulnerability exploitation was the largest cause of cyberattacks in 2021 at 47%, phishing was the second at 40%, according to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2022 [5]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in an effective ransomware campaign starts with initial access, which is often done using a phishing campaign with the intent of gathering login credentials [5]. According to Tessa Anaya from GetApp, 55% of Canadians reuse passwords across accounts [6]. That means if one account is breached, all accounts are. Employees with access to hospital networks, systems, and applications are perfect targets for phishing campaigns, and are one of the most important lines of defence to keeping hospital networks secure as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can I do to help protect my hospital network?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Be vigilant against phishing attacks.<\/strong>
    According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security [7], something may be \u201cphishy\u201d in an electronic communication if:\n