Healthcare Cyber Security and Disaster

While the world’s increasing dependance on technology has, in many ways, improved our quality of life, in other ways, it has created problems that 50 years ago the average person could not have imagined. In fact, I would argue that it has created a whole new category of disaster. Cyber disaster. In this episode of The Disaster Project, we talk with two people who by virtue of being both physicians and computer hackers, have a level of knowledge about cyber security that the average person does not possess and have dedicated this unique skill set, towards the goal of improving healthcare cyber security. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Dr. Jeff Tully and Dr. Christian Dameff, both doctors at UC San Diego, and founders of CyberMed, a yearly conference which brings together the different stake holders in healthcare cyber security towards the goal of improving the protection of our healthcare system. This episode made me think about how fragile a hospital’s cyber security really is, and how one misstep by anyone in an organization could not only compromise the security of personal information but could quite literally endanger lives.

• CIA triad: Executive Summary — NIST SP 1800-26 documentation.
• C Dameff, J Tully, T Chan, et al. Ransomware Attack Associated with Disruptions at Adjacent Emergency Departments in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(5):e2312270. Ransomware Attack Associated With Disruptions at Adjacent Emergency Departments in the US | Emergency Medicine | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network.
• M Thompson. Iranian Cyber Attack on New York Dam Shows Future of War. Time. March 2016. Iranian Cyber Attack on New York Dam Reveals Future of War | Time.
• CISA: Home Page | CISA.
• Articles on healthcare system hacking:
  • The growing threat of ransomware attacks on hospitals | AAMC
  • The latest cyberattack on health care shows how vulnerable the sector is - The Washington Post
  • As data breaches surge, your medical info is vulnerable to hackers (usatoday.com)
  • Hackers post detailed patient medical records from two hospitals to the dark web (nbcnews.com)