ryan witt

Study: 92% of Healthcare Firms Hit by Cyberattacks This Year

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Study: 92% of Healthcare Firms Hit by Cyberattacks This Year

Healthcare organizations should rethink some of their approach to security, particularly by enhancing their focus on insider threats, improving cyber awareness training, and securing mobile applications and devices, said Ryan Witt, vice president of industry solutions at Proofpoint, discussing findings of a newly released study. The third annual study – Cyber Insecurity in Healthcare: The Cost and Impact on Patient Safety and Care 2024 – was sponsored by Proofpoint and conducted by research firm Ponemon…

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Supply Chain, Cloud Compromise Worries Growing in Healthcare

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Supply Chain, Cloud Compromise Worries Growing in Healthcare

Supply chain attacks and cloud compromises are now overshadowing ransomware as top cyberthreats worrying healthcare sector organizations – but all such incidents are still viewed as significant risks to patient outcomes and safety, said Ryan Witt of security vendor Proofpoint about findings from a new study conducted with research firm Ponemon Institute. The study of 653 healthcare IT and security professionals released Wednesday found that concerns about ransomware as the top cyber threat have dipped….

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Connected Medical Devices—the Next Target for Ransomware Attacks | Healthcare IT Today

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Connected Medical Devices—the Next Target for Ransomware Attacks | Healthcare IT Today

The following is a guest article by Ryan Witt, Healthcare Cybersecurity Leader at Proofpoint The Internet of Medical Things, or IoMT, is a deep web of interconnected devices that increasingly plays a vital role in care delivery. Unfortunately, these devices have also significantly enhanced healthcare’s cyber risk, and security researchers have raised alarms about the vulnerabilities of these devices for more than a decade. While we haven’t seen threat actors widely exploiting the vulnerabilities in…

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Examining the Effects of Cyberattacks on Patient Care

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Examining the Effects of Cyberattacks on Patient Care

Cyberattacks on healthcare entities aren’t just annoyances. Healthcare IT and security professionals who participated in a recent survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute said cyberattacks result in poor patient outcomes including delayed procedures, increased complications – and even a rise in mortality. “The key takeaway of this research is that there is a direct connection between a cyber event and an adverse patient outcome,” says Ryan Witt, a healthcare cybersecurity executive with Proofpoint, which sponsored…

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The Importance of Cybersecurity in Protecting Patient Safety | Healthcare IT Today

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The Importance of Cybersecurity in Protecting Patient Safety | Healthcare IT Today

When we talk about cybersecurity, we often like to talk about the financial elements of a breach.  No doubt the financial impact is extremely important and can cost an organization dearly if they’re not prepared.  You also often hear about the reputation impact a breach has on an organization when the breach hits the local news and their organization lives in infamy on the HHS wall of shame.  What we hear less talk about is…

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2022 Predictions for Healthcare Cybersecurity | Healthcare IT Today

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2022 Predictions for Healthcare Cybersecurity | Healthcare IT Today

As we head into 2022, we asked the Healthcare IT Today community to share some predictions for the new year.  I always find it interesting to learn what people think is coming down the road.  Be sure to check out all our Health IT Predictions. There’s no topic in health IT that keeps healthcare CIOs more than security.  It’s likely one of the most challenging problems any CIO faces.  Plus, if they do a great…

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