"Phish Tank: Avoiding Cyberattacks in the Lab"

Research laboratories are not immune to cyberattacks. Since the beginning of the pandemic, cyberattacks on hospitals and health systems have become a greater threat, as attacks on these institutions have increased. Cybercrime is becoming a bigger issue for both businesses and individuals. The FBI reported in March that overall Internet crime has increased by 7 percent since early 2020. According to the report, phishing email attacks had the greatest impact on businesses in 2021, resulting in financial losses of more than $2.3 billion. For example, staff at the University of Vermont Medical (UVM) Center lost access to their computers in October 2020. The IT staff found a file containing instructions for contacting the alleged perpetrators of the cyberattack. In order to prevent further damage, the center instead chose to disable email, the Internet, and other significant parts of the organization's computer network, causing UVM employees to lose access to electronic health records, payroll programs, and other digital tools for nearly a month. Even though the medical center never paid a ransom fee, the interruptions cost an estimated $50 million in lost revenue. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) reported in the 2020 HIMMS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey that 70 percent of survey respondents had faced significant incidents in the previous 12 months. Phishing attacks were the most common security incident, with 57 percent of respondents reporting one. According to Lee Kim, senior principal of cybersecurity and privacy at HIMSS, cyberattacks should be a major concern for scientists and researchers in medical labs in the US. The theft of intellectual property, which may include trade secrets and patentable inventions, as well as other types of research data and sensitive data, is a significant risk, according to Kim. Since research institutions have traditionally had a culture of sharing and helping others, ensuring confidentiality and overall good security has not always been considered. According to the HIMMS survey, cybercriminals typically go after employee information, financial information, and patient information, which is highly valuable on the dark web. This article continues to discuss the rise in healthcare cyberattacks and the importance of protecting medical labs from such attacks. 

Endocrine News reports "Phish Tank: Avoiding Cyberattacks in the Lab"