Is Ransomware a Data Breach Under HIPAA?

While it’s tempting to think of ransomware as a new cyber threat, the history of digital extortion dates back to the 1980s, and one of the first examples of ransomware was the PC Cyborg Trojan. Like modern ransomware, the Cyborg Trojan (a.k.a. Aids Info Disk) first encrypted files and then demanded payment (to a PO Box in Panama) in the more friendly terminology of a software “license renewal.”

This week yet another healthcare facility was hit by ransomware–and this marks the fourth significant ransomware attack targeting U.S. healthcare just this year. This week’s attack affected MedStar Health–the largest healthcare provider in the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region.