What You Need to Know About the DoD’s CMMC Assessment
As part of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification’s (CMMC) Version 2.0, the Department of Defense (DoD) is requiring all contractors to perform self-assessments to verify that they meet compliance. These must be submitted annually, both from those that have currently achieved CMMC status, as well as those that intend to apply. Why should your organization […]
Treat Your Healthcare Data Like Controlled Unclassified Information Under CMMC
While government contractors must adhere to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, the truth is that all healthcare agencies would have better data management by adopting CMMC. It offers the most comprehensive framework for organizing, protecting, and sharing your data, whether it’s what the government would consider classified (requiring security clearance), or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) […]
What Is CMMC, and Why Do You Need to Prepare Now for 2.0?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) has had its timetable updated. If you either currently work with the federal government, or you’re hoping to apply as a contractor, it’s important that you know when CMMC assessments are due, and how much time that gives you to make the necessary improvements. If you don’t work with […]
The Case for Improving Death Certificate Data
Unfortunately, a large portion of the death certificate data in the United States is inaccurate. These range from misidentified causes of death, to errors in medical care that weren’t reported, to coding mistakes that were made when patient data was initially gathered. Not only can these complicate legal matters on behalf of the deceased and […]
What’s Your Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan?
As an agency that operates in the healthcare sector, you’ve probably heard how it’s no longer a matter of “if” but “when” you’ll be exposed to a cyberattack. You’ll be in the best available position to overcome one if you have an established incident response plan, detailing exactly what you intend to do the moment […]
How You Can Meet the New Requirements for CMMC 2.0
Last November, the DoD released its updated requirements for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, dubbed CMMC 2.0. The reason for this update was two-fold: 1) ensuring that government contractors used the practices necessary for protecting sensitive data; and 2) balancing the financial impact of these requirements so that small businesses could afford to implement them. […]
Why Virtual Private Networks Are a Must-Have in Healthcare Cyber Defense
Virtual private networks (VPNs) should be a key component of your cybersecurity infrastructure. Their purpose is to mask the IP addresses of the mobile devices connected to your network, effectively making the data they send and receive unreadable to anyone outside your organization. What’s more, VPNs maintain this security even when your devices are connected […]
The Long-Term Damage of a Healthcare Data Breach
A data breach can be one of the most costly and damaging events for any healthcare agency. While its name usually conjures images of stolen files and network downtime, a single breach can have far more extensive, long-term effects. These include risks to patient health when charts are disabled, fines for HIPAA noncompliance, and a […]
Ransomware Evolves into RansomOps, and IT Burnout Is Growing
Healthcare organizations often fall prey to ransomware when they don’t anticipate becoming targets, or they fail to test the limits of their cyber defense. But now that these attacks are becoming more sophisticated, it’s vital that your team assess weaknesses in your IT’s infrastructure before bad actors exploit them. Here’s the latest on ransomware trends […]
Don’t Sacrifice Mobile Device Security for the Sake of Efficiency
Unfortunately, mobile devices are a big risk factor that some healthcare agencies actively ignore. HealthITSecurity reported back in 2020 that 37 percent of surveyed organizations indicated that they sacrificed mobile security for the sake of efficiency. Here’s why, and what yours can do to avoid that temptation. Healthcare Apps and the Cloud Mobile devices are […]
