Government warns health care providers of cyber threats

The federal government is warning health care providers and hospitals about a threat from cyber criminals.

The FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. HHS), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are warning providers to protect their networks from ransomware attacks.

The CISA, FBI and U.S. HHS say malicious cyber actors are targeting the health care and public health sector with Trickbot malware, often leading to ransomware attacks, data theft and the disruption of health care services.

Providers are encouraged to follow these guidelines to stay safe:

• Delete — and don’t open, forward or reply to — suspicious emails and communications, especially those from unknown senders.
• Don’t open attachments or click links in emails from senders you don’t recognize.
• If you receive a suspicious email from someone you know, call that person and confirm they sent the email. Threat actors can spoof email accounts of people you know to give a false sense of security.
• Only visit official websites.

Report suspicious communications, especially those requesting personal information, to the HHS IT Help Desk and your supervisor immediately.

Visit the CISA website for more information or to read the full advisory.