Photo lexingtonlaw.com
​By Jennifer Somers

Think your small/mid-sized business (SMB) has no reason for concern when it comes to cybersecurity? After reviewing SolarWinds’ 2017 Cybersecurity survey results, I can assure you that there are definitely some concerns to be had.

According to the survey, many SMBs believe that they are not a likely target for cybercrime. Often, they feel as though any data they have is not desirable to a cybercriminal. But, in reality, a hacker nor his malware can differentiate one IP address from the next. They are simply looking for a way in to someone else’s – anyone else’s - network where they can exploit data and/or passwords and wreak further havoc.

Here are some alarming numbers reported by SolarWinds’ survey that should raise a huge red flag for SMB’s.

• The average cost to an SMB to recover from a single data breach is $76,000 (and that doesn’t even consider what kind of hit your reputation will take because of the breach – this cost is simply to recover and continue doing business).
• Cybercrime costs were $75 Billion in 2015 and are expected to hit $2 Trillion by 2019.
• 87% of business surveyed are confident in their cybersecurity preparedness technology – and 59% believe they are less vulnerable than they were 12 months ago. Unfortunately, 71% of those same respondents said they reported at least one breach last year. This indicates that SMBs are overconfident in their security measures.
• Only 32% of respondents could claim their security policies are reliably applied and regularly audited with less than half respondents (43%) enforcing policies only occasionally.

There are affordable solutions available to help you mitigate these risks. From software to hardware to user awareness, security has become a multiple tiered endeavor for SMBs. A great Managed Service Provider is going to be able to provide you with as many layers of protection as possible and assist you with training your end users on cyber security awareness.

Unfortunately, SMBs can’t afford to continue to just turn the other cheek when it comes to IT security. It only takes one breach to potentially close your business’ doors forever.
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Collectively, Mnemonix has more than 125 years of experience securing SMBs and ensuring end users are aware of potential security threats. Give us a call today at 616-588-7740 to schedule time to talk about how we can help your business be as secure as possible.

By Dawn Kawamoto

More than half of medical device makers and healthcare delivery organizations anticipate an attack on their medical devices within the next 12 months, but only a smattering take significant steps to prevent it, according to a survey released today.

Over the next 12 months, 67% of medical device makers expect an attack on their devices, but only 17% of these companies are taking significant steps to prevent it, according to a Ponemon Institute study released today by Synopsys.

The study, Medical Device Security: An industry Under Attack and Unprepared to Defend, also found similar results for the healthcare delivery organization (HDO) industry, with 56% of survey respondents anticipating an attack on their devices within the next 12 months and 15% taking significant measures to mitigate it.

Part of the reason may rest with the survey results that show only one-third of the 550 North American medical device makers and HDO organizations were aware of potential adverse effects on patients due to insecure medical devices. But Mike Ahmadi, global director for critical systems security for Synopsys' Software Integrity Group, said a company's action (or inaction) to mitigate attacks often comes down budget.

"When you look at preventing attacks, it doesn't make patient care any better. It's only looked at as a cost," he says.

Hurdles in Building Secure Medical Devices
According to the survey, 80% of respondents characterized medical device security as difficult to achieve. The top three challenges they cited included a lack of knowledge and training in building secure code, accidental coding errors, and pressure to meet production deadlines, the survey found.

But Ahmadi noted production deadlines are by far the biggest reason why companies don't put into place secure coding practices.

"Everything comes down to money," Ahmadi says. "We have come to people and told them we found a problem in their code and they say they can't fix it because they are too far along in the development process."

The stakes are high in the healthcare field, where it can take anywhere from 18 months to three years and beyond to get Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a medical device, while in the meantime it's costing thousands, upon thousands of dollars to keep operating during the approval process, Ahmadi says.
This pushback is nothing new for the security industry, which has endured similar tensions with other industries when software development teams are told to rework the code because of security flaws found in the software.

Trifecta Impact on Medical Device Security
Lax security testing, a lack of accountability and the FDA's cybersecurity guidance versus mandatory requirements have been detrimental to establishing strong cybersecurity on medical devices, according to the report.

According to the survey, 43% of medical device manufacturers and 53% of HDOs do not conduct cybersecurity testing on their medical devices. Meanwhile, only 9% of device makers and 5% of HDOs conduct medical device testing at least once a year.

And cybersecurity accountability at medical device makers and HDOs can sometimes be a mystery. It turns out that nearly one-third of survey respondents for both medical device makers and HDOs had no single person or job function that was primarily responsible for cybersecurity for the devices.
Lastly, only 51% of medical device makers and 44% of HDOs adhered to the voluntary FDA guidelines designed to mitigate cybersecurity risks in medical devices, according to the survey.

FDA Fact or Fiction?
Over the years, Ahmadi complained that the FDA has loosened regulations and guidelines on medical devices to where, in the case of Medical Device Data Systems (MDDS) these devices have morphed from a Class III device with high risk to a Class 1, low-risk, in February 2011, according to FDA documents. And in February 2015, according to FDA documents, the agency deregulated Class 1 MDDS devices to a classification as unregulated.

There are no cybersecurity laws for these devices and only voluntary guidelines, he noted. He added there is talk outside of the FDA to try to the voluntary guidelines into mandatory requirements.

In the last week of December, the FDA issued guidelines for handling cybersecurity monitoring on post-market medical devices. The voluntary guidelines were issued a couple weeks prior to the FDA's announcement in the controversial case involving St. Jude Medical's pacemaker devices and allegations by hedge fund Muddy Waters Capital and security researcher MedSec that vulnerabilities in St. Jude's pacemakers could potentially put patients at risk. In early January, the FDA confirmed the St. Jude vulnerabilities, putting out a notice to the public.

The FDA, however, contends it has regulations in place that address cybersecurity.

"Medical device manufacturers must comply with federal regulations. Part of those regulations, called quality system regulations (QSRs), require that medical device manufacturers address all risks, including cybersecurity risk," said an FDA spokeswoman. "The FDA has issued pre- and post- market cybersecurity guidances to provide recommendations for manufacturers to meet QSRs. These guidances represent the agency’s current thinking on this topic."

Manufacturers may choose to follow the recommendations in these guidelines, or they may choose other methods of managing cybersecurity in their devices, providing they comply with the QSR requirements and all other applicable FDA laws and regulations, she added.

But Morey Haber, vice president of technology for BeyondTrust, said cybersecurity basics should be enforced on every device sold that covers a life-saving function like a pacemaker or insulin pump.
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"If the government can provide specifications for cars to have safety standards, there's no reason they should not be applied to medical devices, as well. This is especially true if a hack could potentially kill someone," Haber said.


​Are you concerned about the security of your medical devices? Mnemonix has supported healthcare IT since 2000. We can help to make sure you are as safe as possible. Give us a call at 616-588-7740 to discuss how we can help secure your devices.

In the age of unsecured Wi-Fi, there's more than one way to get burned at the beach.
Aaron Robinson/CNET

It was the Summer Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta. Ken Spinner, then a systems consultant -- and tourist in the city -- lost his credit card information.

But this was more than two decades ago, so it happened the old-fashioned way: a mugging at the ATM.
Today, hackers can steal your credit card information without leaving their couches. That's particularly worrisome if you're taking off for the summer. It's peak vacation time, but it's also the perfect season for hackers.

As more than 657 million Americans go on vacation between the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, they're vulnerable to cyberattacks that steal their credit card data and personal information. For cyberthieves, resort hotels and airports make for lucrative hunting grounds.

It's no different from why thieves and pickpockets target tourists on vacation: They're in an unfamiliar setting, they have their guard down and, more importantly, they've got money.

"It's like why people rob banks. That's where the money is," said Scott Petry, co-founder of the secure browser Authentic8. "If people go to vacation, they go to resorts."

From a cybersecurity perspective, hotels aren't exactly bastions of relaxation. Over three months in 2016, more than 1,200 InterContinental Hotels suffered hacks. Malware has also hit President Donald Trump's luxury hotel chain, along with Sheraton, Westin, Starwood, Marriott, Hyatt, Kimpton and Wyndham hotels -- the list goes on.

In every one of those breaches, thieves stole credit card information from the hotels, leaving thousands of unsuspecting customers open to getting robbed. It's not just your money these hotels are losing; addresses, phone numbers, names, and check-in and check-out times are all fair game.

"Point-of-service systems have become notoriously insecure," said Adam Levin, a consumer advocate and chairman of Cyberscout. "Can you think of anyone that hasn't had a [breach] at a hotel? There are very few that have escaped so far. "Because many hotels are chains, one breached location means hackers can break into the entire network for the "mother lode of information," Levin said. The stolen information can be sold online for up to $50 per account.

The majority of incidents start from a single employee at a hotel getting phished, he added.
So even if your family takes all the precautions to keep your credit card information safe, and the hotel you stay at is safe, it could be a part of a compromised network. You could do nothing wrong and still lose.
Levin suggests that hotels invest more in encryption and in testing their security systems regularly.
But the breaches don't stop at hotels. Airports, coffee shops, beaches -- any place with open Wi-Fi, really -- should have you on the lookout.

Safe travels

Don't fret too much, though. There are still ways to keep yourself safe.

When you're traveling and don't have your precious home or office internet access, be wary of any public Wi-Fi network you jump on. You might be setting yourself up for a man-in-the-middle attack.

That's when a thief will set up a bogus hotspot, made to look exactly like the public Wi-Fi you wanted to get on, like the hotel lobby's or the airport's. When you sign on, you're actually sending all your data to the hacker, without any warnings that you're being compromised in plain sight.

It happens so frequently that in Singapore more people are afraid of using public Wi-Fi than public toilets.
"People typically have their guard down when they're on vacation," said Spinner, now vice president of field engineering at software protection company Varonis. "They won't consider what the implications are if they go to a rogue Wi-Fi hotspot."

Spinner recommends avoiding banking websites or typing in sensitive information, and he encourages always using an encrypted connection.

In some more extreme cases, he'll recommend going "electronically naked." That means leaving every piece of technology at home: your phone, your laptop, your tablet, your iPad -- you know, everything.

There are entire retreats dedicated to detoxing from digital life, so the idea of going on vacation without any technology isn't as farfetched as you may think. Spinner said he does it anytime he visits China or Russia. He explained it's because that's where "hackers emanate from."

Enigma Software took a look at cities in the US, Canada and Europe that have the highest malware infection rates, though not all of the victims are people vacationing.

"IT and cybertechnology has changed since the Atlanta Olympics, but I think it's becoming harder and harder for people to keep their information private," Spinner said.

​Mnemonix wishes everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!