cybercrime

Federal Agencies Warn of Cyberattacks on U.S. Hospitals

Kathie McDonald-McClure Cyber Security and Cyber Crime, Data Privacy & Security, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology , , , , ,

By Margaret Young Levi and Kathie McDonald-McClure

On October 28, 2020,  the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory warning hospitals and the health care community about coordinated ransomware attacks on hospitals designed to steal data and freeze hospital information systems for financial gain. 

Six U.S. hospitals fell victim to this attack on October 27th and the FBI, HHS, and CISA have credible information that more hospitals will be targeted in this attack. The ransomware behind these attacks is known as Ryuk, which utilizes TrickBot malware and other malware to execute the attack. The Ryuk ransomware is designed to allow the cybercriminals to stealthily access, map and move laterally across the victim’s network before encrypting critical data files and deleting connected backups.

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Massive malicious email campaign spoofs Google Docs to hijack Gmail accounts

Kathie McDonald-McClure Cyber Security and Cyber Crime, Data Privacy & Security, Privacy & Security , , , ,

A massive email phishing campaign started Wednesday afternoon.  The email attacks target Google accounts but have spread to other email accounts as people have been tricked into clicking on the link in the email and have unwittingly supplied their Google account access credentials and access to their contacts.

The reports of the malicious emails are coming from people across a range of industries. The emails contain what looks like a link to a Google Docs and appears to come from someone you know. These emails, however, are malicious and are designed to trick the recipient in a way that allows the cybercriminal to hijack email accounts or infect the user’s computer.

If you receive an email with a link to Google Docs, BEWARE!  These emails are designed to look like they come from a trusted or known source.  Do not click on any links in emails that you were not expecting.

A screen shot of one of the Google Docs phishing emails is shown below. If you receive one of these emails, delete it ASAP.  If you use Gmail or Google Inbox, consider activating the 2-factor authentication feature to secure your account.

Several major news organizations and cable networks are reporting on this story.  For the most up-to-date news on this developing story, use your favorite internet search engine to search for “google phishing email scam”.

A sample Google Docs phishing email.  The form and style of the email may vary from this sample.Sample Google Docs Phishing Email

To read Google’s Gmail Help on phishing emails, use your preferred internet search engine and search for: “Google Help and how to avoid and report phishing emails”.

If you are attacked by malware or a phishing email that compromises your organization’s privacy and security, Wyatt’s experienced Data Security Incident Response Team is ready to help.