Save Your Data And Your Dollars: Tips To Prevent "Ransomware" From Holding Your Company Hostage

On February 15, 2016, a Los Angeles-based hospital paid cyber criminals $17,000, in the form of 40 Bitcoins, to restore access to electronic medical records and email systems. The hospital—Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center—had been operating offline for more than a week after hackers blocked access to the hospital's shared files through the use of ransomware. The 10-day attack made electronic documentation of patient care, transmittal of lab work, and sharing of CT and X-ray results impossible and required the diversion of hundreds of patients to nearby hospitals. The hospital's radiation and oncology departments were forced to temporarily shut down, and doctors lost critical access to patients' medical history. Ransomware is a growing trend in cyber attacks, and while no business is immune, health care providers appear especially vulnerable. By taking simple preventive steps, however, all businesses can reduce the likelihood of an attack and be armed with the