The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the National Institutes of Health, has announced a $50 million initiative called the Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense (UPGRADE) program. This initiative aims to enhance hospital cybersecurity by developing a suite of software tools to autonomously protect healthcare systems from ransomware and other cyber threats. The UPGRADE program targets the creation of a vulnerability mitigation platform, high-fidelity digital twins of hospital equipment, rapid software vulnerability detection, and tailored defenses for each vulnerability. The announcement comes in response to a challenging year for healthcare cybersecurity, marked by significant ransomware attacks on entities like Change Healthcare and Ascension.

HHS puts $50M toward hospitals' ransomware fight Becker's Hospital Review

The FBI has seized BreachForums, a notorious hacking forum involved in leaking and selling stolen corporate data, following its recent breach of Europol's law enforcement portal. The forum’s servers and domains are now under FBI control, and a seizure message displayed on the site urges individuals to report cybercriminal activities associated with the forum. Additionally, the FBI has taken over the forum's Telegram channels, signaling potential arrests, including that of the administrator known as Baphomet. The history of BreachForums ties back to its predecessors, RaidForums and the initial Breached site, both of which were also seized by law enforcement. The FBI continues to solicit information from victims and participants to aid in further investigations.

FBI seize BreachForums hacking forum used to leak stolen data bleepingcomputer

International law enforcement agencies, coordinated by the FBI and the Department of Justice, have seized the notorious cybercrime website BreachForums for the second time in a year. The site previously re-emerged after a 2023 seizure following the arrest of its creator, Conor Fitzpatrick. The latest seizure involved assistance from agencies in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Iceland, and included the website and its affiliated Telegram channels. The UK’s National Crime Agency emphasized the importance of disrupting such criminal marketplaces as they facilitate cybercrime activities. It remains unclear if any arrests were made during this recent operation. The FBI has also launched a reporting form to gather more information related to BreachForums.

BreachForums, a key English-language cybercrime forum, seized by the FBI CyberScoop

The acquisition and implementation of a new Epic EHR system have significantly contributed to Cleveland-based University Hospitals' operating losses for 2022 and 2023, totaling over half a billion dollars in deficits. Despite this, the hospital's investment in the MyChart patient portal, which cost $179 million and went live in October, is starting to yield positive results. Chief Financial Officer Bradley Bond highlighted improvements such as easier appointment bookings, streamlined billing, and simplified medical record transfers as early benefits of the new system.

Epic EHR contributes to University Hospitals' operating loss Becker's Hospital Review