Ransomware and Patient Privacy - No Spin Live

Ransomware is a growing threat, even in the cosmetic healthcare industry. Learn how surgeons are taking precautions to guard their patients' privacy against such threats.

With the latest massive ransomware attack that affected virtually the entirety of England’s National Heath Service system, physicians everywhere are reminded of the importance of patient privacy. Private practices may not always be the go-to target for ransomware attacks, but safeguards always need to exist and be up-to-date in order to protect privacy.

Board certified plastic surgeons of private practices discuss ransomware in the latest episde of No Spin Live, addressing why it’s important for them and their employees to be vigilant.

THIEVING PATIENT PHOTOS FOR RANSOM
When it comes to plastic surgery – one of the more personal areas of medicine for patients, it’s crucial for many to retain anonymity before, during, and even after the process is complete. As can be seen with the recent NHS ransomware attack, large organizations are usually at risk most, but small practices are certainly not immune.

An event may occur as follows. An email may be sent to an account on an office server and if it is opened by the physician or staff, the entire server could be compromised. The differentiator between ransomware and typical malware is the software demands users on infected systems to pay a ransom in order for the insidious software to be lifted. This puts the user often in a precarious position – do we pay the ransom? Wipe the servers and restore from a backup (this is why backups are incredibly important!)? Or see what happens?

Ransomware and plastic surgery.