US secures pledge from Microsoft and Google to provide free cyber services to rural hospitals

Microsoft and Google will provide free or low-cost cybersecurity resources to about 2,100 local hospitals across the US as part of a White House-led effort to strengthen cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

The pledge, announced by Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, comes in the wake of a series of recent cyberattacks on the healthcare sector that have crippled prescription routing supply chains, disrupted claims processing and forced ambulances to be diverted from certain hospitals.

Microsoft will offer subsidies and discounts of up to 75% on customized security products for small care centers and large regional hospitals that already use the company's services, and will provide its leading security suite free for one year, offer free cybersecurity assessments to eligible providers and provide training to hospital staff.

At the same time, Google will offer free endpoint security consulting, launch a funding pool to help hospitals with their software migrations, and launch a pilot program to help hospitals develop customized security packages to address their unique infrastructure needs.

The National Security Council has reached out to several companies to gauge interest in providing the service. Microsoft and Google have both bid, but the White House hopes to see more companies join, Neuberger said in a conference call with reporters on Sunday, previewing the announcement.

The hospitals it serves are spread across the country, from Maine to Texas to the Midwest. Rural hospitals, defined as those more than 35 miles from another hospital, pose the biggest problem for NSC because patients would have to travel farther to get care if they were affected by a cyber intrusion.

“What we're trying to do is help the hospitals that are the most vulnerable and, frankly, the ones that generally have the least resources,” Neuberger said. As the Biden administration prepares to implement minimum cybersecurity standards for hospitals, the U.S. will likely face challenges imposing unwanted regulations on the private sector.

“One of the challenges we face is that people often want both,” she said. “People don't want regulation. They don't want the government to tell them they need to do some important things to stay safe. But if they don't take those important steps and attacks increase, then companies are more vulnerable than they need to be.”

The cyberattack on UnitedHealth's Change Healthcare division in February was perhaps the largest cyberattack ever against the U.S. healthcare industry, with cascading effects. A recent American Medical Association survey found that roughly 36% of respondents experienced a suspension of insurance payments, and 32% were unable to submit a claim at all. The survey highlights how a single point of failure can negatively impact many people with just one cyberattack.

A separate hack into the Ascensions Medical Network last month has crippled operations at several hospitals over the past few weeks, forcing ambulances to be diverted as staff took systems offline.

Healthcare infrastructure is a treasure trove for hackers because it often contains digital repositories of sensitive patient information that, if stolen, can be sold to other cybercriminals and used in extortion and fraud schemes.

Hackers frequently target hospitals by covertly injecting malware into their networks that holds sensitive data and critical systems hostage in exchange for a ransom payment. This malware is known as ransomware. Paying a cyber ransom is a tough decision and a hotly debated topic because victims have days or even hours to ponder after paying the ransom whether to honor the cybercriminals' promise to return their stolen data.

An intelligence analysis in February found that cyber attacks against the healthcare sector will surge by 128% in 2023, with 258 victims that year compared with 113 in 2022.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2024/06/us-secures-microsoft-google-commitments-free-rural-hospital-cyber-services/397232/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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