While the alert intended to educate the general population to the threat and how to combat becoming a victim it also recommends to not pay the ransom.

“Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released; it only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim’s money, and in some cases, their banking information. In addition, decrypting files does not mean the malware infection itself has been removed,” the statement said.

The statement gives a primer on ransomware running through the types currently being favored – such as Locky and Samas –  that it is spread primarily through phishing scams and what can happen to a computer’s files if infected.

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The attack was described as “…used vulnerability in web application that requires patching (updating software versions).”  Which implied that the institution breached was not keeping their computing and web systems patched in a timely manner. Aegify’s regular/continuous scanning process would have uncovered this lapse and allowed the organization an opportunity to correct the vulnerability prior to such an attack. The compliance and risk assessment components of the Aegify solution suite would have worked to further educate the management and staff as to the importance of effective monitoring program and its’ elements.

Aegify allows you to safeguard your systems, network, and computing environments in the most efficient way. In fact this type of an attack highlights one of the key benefits that we bring to enterprises. It enables you to regularly monitor and track the enterprise’s Risk, Security and Compliance elements and factors that are key in any successful security protection program.

Thank you
Aegify Team

Avoiding Future Ransomware (Malware) Attacks Targeting Healthcare Providers The recent malware attack on a healthcare provider in California has significant implications. The delivery approach was not through a phishing email or malware infecting a personal device. Instead, the attackers opportunistically used vulnerability in web applications that requires patching (updating software versions). The attack methodology has impacted companies outside of healthcare and the sophistication of the attack is relatively high.   Information for Your IT Department Aetna Global Security is sharing the attached document from Dell SecureWorks Counter Threat Unit(TM) (CTU) and the National Health Information Sharing & Analysis Center (NH-ISAC). Please forward this document to your IT department and encourage them to review your web applications and upgrade outdated Jboss applications (upgrade to 7.0) to avoid future attacks of ransomware on hospitals.
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On Dec 1, 2015, a $3.5 million fine was levied against Triple-S Management Corporation, formerly known as American Health Medicare Inc., for HIPAA violations. OCR’s investigations indicated widespread non-compliance throughout the various subsidiaries of Triple-S, including:

• Failure to implement appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect the privacy of its beneficiaries’ PHI;
• Impermissible disclosure of its beneficiaries’ PHI to an outside vendor with which it did not have an appropriate business associate agreement;
• Use or Disclosure of more PHI than was necessary to carry out mailings;
• Failure to conduct an accurate and thorough risk analysis that incorporates all IT equipment, applications, and data systems utilizing ePHI; and
• Failure to implement security measures sufficient to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities to its ePHI to a reasonable and appropriate level.

Here is the latest information on U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ website: http://1.usa.gov/1XDjyVY.

Are you at risk?  If you’re a healthcare provider or a business associate/vendor, you are.  Protect your organization against HIPAA and other compliance risks with Aegify Compliance Manager, part of Aegify RSC Suite.

Aegify RSC Suite, conceptualized and designed in Cupertino, CA, provides bulletproof risk, security and compliance protection for healthcare, financial and retail companies throughout the USA.  Discover just how affordable peace of mind is at Aegify.com or by emailing sales@aegify.com.

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This agreement positions Aegify as an awarded supplier serving the IT risk, security monitoring and compliance management contracting needs of more than 100,000 VHA, UHC and Provista members. These relationships represent access to more health care providers than any other group purchasing organization.

Aegify provides a cloud-based, comprehensive, unified, enterprise platform for continuous risk, security and compliance monitoring and resolution. The Aegify solution delivers risk, security and compliance management with an intuitive dashboard and advanced analytics. This gives customers a clear path to assessing gaps, remediating vulnerabilities, and continuous monitoring to ensure business continuity and protection. The company has won numerous awards and accolades from analysts for product innovation.

“We are excited to have been selected by the council of members as an Innovative Technology awarded supplier” said Tom Leahy, Aegify’s Executive VP of Sales and Business Development.

About Aegify

Aegify Inc. is a world-leading provider of Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for business security monitoring, risk and compliance management. The company’s flagship product Aegify is the world’s first software only solution that disrupts the way businesses manage security, compliance and risk using an easy-to-use, cost-effective, subscription-based, SaaS solution. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Aegify has offices in the United States and India. Earlier this year, the company introduced Aegify BA-Vendor Manager, solving a significant HIPAA compliance challenge faced by all U.S. covered entities for their business associates and vendors. The company has received numerous industry awards and accolades. Aegify was nominated to the 2015 CyberSecurity 500 list of hottest Cyber security companies to watch. It received the highest possible, five-star rating, based on features, performance, documentation, support, and overall rating from SC Magazine, June 2014.

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About PolicyMedical

PolicyMedical, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, produces document management solutions for healthcare providers. PolicyMedical takes an active role in shaping the field of governance, risk management, and compliance, through its advanced solutions in document management.

Its flagship software, PolicyManager, offers a policy management solution for healthcare. It has been supporting the policy & procedure management, risk & compliance, and accreditation efforts of healthcare providers for over a decade. Currently, over 1500 healthcare facilities are using PolicyMedical‘s web-based solution to handle their policy management.

About Aegify Inc

Aegify Inc. is a world-leading provider of Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for business security monitoring, risk and compliance management. The company’s flagship product Aegify is the world‘s-first, software only solution that disrupts the way businesses deal with security, compliance and risk management using an easy-to-use, cost-effective, subscription-based, cloud-SaaS solution. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Aegify has offices in the United States, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and India. The company has received numerous industry awards, including the five-star highest rating based on   features, performance, documentation, support, and overall rating from SC Magazine.

Media Contacts

    Alex Jamieson
    Director of Media and Marketing
    policymedical.com | 647-494-9045
    Anupam Sahai, Co-Founder and CEO, Aegify Inc.
    Anupam.Sahai@Aegify.com
    1-408-219-1004

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