Just days ago, a cyber security expert posted on social media that an extortion operation called INC RANSOM was claiming it had records stolen from Tri-City Medical Center — and that some were posted on the dark web.
“When someone posts online, they’re showing almost as proof that they have breached the system, and typically will follow that with some type of a demand,” Cyber Center of Excellence CEO Lisa Easterly said.
The post included “proof” in the form of eight pages presumably taken from Tri-City during the digital attack, University of San Diego professor of cybersecurity Nikolas Behar said.
“We're seeing them post things like patient authorization forms, financial records and they're going to contain things like name, phone number. But we’re not certain if they accessed any of the electronic medical records,” he said about the INC RANSOM post.
Tri-City did not respond to a request for an interview or statement on the matter.
Easterly said everyone should practice proper digital hygiene to protect themselves from cyberattacks. That includes turning on multi-factor authentication, updating software, using strong passwords and thinking before you click on a link to not fall victim to a phishing scam.
As for victims of a cyber security breach, she has further advice: “Monitor your credit. You can request free credit reports from all three credit bureaus and place freezes on your credit and your children’s credit. This is very important, to help thwart potential identity theft,” Easterly said.
The FBI has recorded a large increase in cybercrime complaints and financial losses since the COVID-19 pandemic when much of our lives shifted online.
“If you are a victim where they are putting it online, first things first is — get in touch with your local FBI office or your law enforcement fusion center,” Easterly said.
Currently, Behar said there is no indication of just how many Tri-City records might be in the attacker’s possession.
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On KPBS Roundtable this week, we have a conversation with journalists covering the San Diego-Tijuana border region on what a second Trump Presidency could mean for the nation’s immigration system. -
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