Ascension, a major U.S. hospital chain, continues to recover from a recent ransomware attack that affected its IT systems, including electronic health records and pharmacy operations. This disruption has impacted services differently across regions, with some emergency departments unable to accept patients and certain pharmacies, especially in Maryland, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, struggling to fill prescriptions. Ascension is using manual processes for various operations as they work towards full recovery, a timeline for which remains uncertain. The cyberattack has already led to proposed federal class action lawsuits over compromised personal health data, and the Russian-speaking group Black Basta is suspected to be behind the attack.

Impact of Ascension's Cyberattack IT Outage Varies by Region Information Security Media Group

Scammers are targeting patients by sending phony MyChart messages to trick them into disclosing personal information. MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Wash. has recently warned patients about these fraudulent messages, which may imitate trusted branding and logos. They advise patients to trust their instincts if a message seems suspicious due to misspellings, unfamiliar email addresses, or irregular branding. Patients can verify the authenticity of messages by calling MyChart customer service or logging directly into their MyChart app. Additionally, MultiCare plans to implement "short codes" for text communications starting June 1.

Scammers send fake MyChart messages Becker's Hospital Review

During the STAT Breakthrough Summit West, experts discussed how wearable health devices, despite FDA approval, still fall short of being useful in clinical practice. Ida Sim, a primary care physician, cited an example where continuous glucose monitor data from a patient's Apple Watch was inaccessible due to technical barriers and data integration issues. Additionally, primary care doctors often struggle to interpret the extensive data these devices produce, making it difficult to apply in patient care. Consequently, the potential benefits of these devices are not yet fully realized in clinical settings.

Wearable devices generate powerful data but it's not useful to doctors, yet STAT

Simon Batt's article discusses the severe risks of connecting Windows XP to the internet in 2024, as demonstrated by Eric Parker on YouTube. Parker's experiment revealed that even without browsing, simply connecting a Windows XP virtual machine online makes it extremely vulnerable to malware, due to its outdated security measures. Hackers can easily scan and target these systems, flooding them with viruses almost immediately. Despite disabling the firewall, which admittedly increased the risk, Parker's scan using Malwarebytes identified eight distinct viruses that had infiltrated the system merely by being online. The article strongly suggests avoiding the use of such outdated systems and instead indulging nostalgia through non-operational means like old wallpapers.

Someone connected Windows XP to the internet, and it didn't survive long XDA Developers