The United States government has been known to take a stand of ‘we don’t negotiate with terrorists’ when it comes to discussions of ransom. Whether this has 100% certainty to it can be argued in more ways than we care to discuss here. What we do know for certain is that this week, the […]
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5 anti-fatigue tips to reduce video conference exhaustion
The concept of screen fatigue isn’t new. The term Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) was coined back in the early aughts to describe what most of us now deal with day in and day out: hours of digital eye strain. Lately, CVS has permeated into video conference fatigue, a hallmark of this telecommute-heavy time. As more of us […]
Hover Hover Hover
At times, it feels as if we could start every week with this sentence: “There’s a new tactic being used by cybercriminals to trick unsuspecting victims.” And the sophistication level of the new tactics is off the charts. So, what are we dealing with as of late? Well, where should we start… Hidden text is […]
“Please Complete This Form” – When Is It Okay?
You walk into your healthcare provider’s office and are usually handed a clipboard with papers that need to be filled out, updated, and wrapped up with your signature. We mindlessly take our task to the nearest seat and complete, sign, initial, and update whatever we’ve been given. This information goes into our file and continues […]
Statistically Speaking
Three universities recently conducted a joint study of participants that aimed to explore their likelihood of being monetarily incentivized to violate HIPAA regulations. The pilot study involved medical residents or individuals in an executive MBA program, with some of those participants already in health care executive roles. Of the 64 medical students and 32 executive MBA candidates, […]
Second Largest Fine
Coming in second can sometimes be a good thing. But not when you’re on the receiving end of a HIPAA fine and have to pay out $6.9 million like Premera Blue Cross. The insurer is the largest health plan in the Pacific Northwest, serving more than 2 million people. This fine is the second-largest payment made […]
It Was to Be Expected
We knew that any type of newsworthy topic was going to give cybercriminals so much opportunity – and COVID-19 gave them so much bang for the buck. Just because this was something affecting the world in a detrimental way would never be reason enough for hackers to take a break. They were going to take […]
Impersonation Nation
Business Email Compromise (BEC) is not a new term. BEC scams have been growing in popularity for some time now. If you’re not familiar with BEC, it’s when a fraudulent email is sent to a company or individual, and the email appears to be from a legitimate business resource or person, often varying from the […]
Dark Economy
“This pandemic is great for my business!” said very few people. Unless you’re a hacker. And then it’s likely that business is booming. We don’t think of cybercriminals as businesspeople. We tend to think they are individuals lurking about in hoodies in their basement. Quite the opposite – or so we have found through investigations […]
Smart Telehealth Practices during Covid-19
By Mary Beth Carl on September 22, 2020 in HIPAA IT Security, Latest News, Tech Tips, Weekly Security Reminder
COVID-19 has ushered in the mass acceptance of telehealth, with so much optimism and excitement around the technology. But like many new technologies, the initial use is rushed and not well thought out with many providers trying to figure out the right technology, best practices, and optimal patient experience. We have seen temporary waivers to […]