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The National Organization of Rheumatology Managers recently visited Tampa, FL. Not only does this city have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League team, they also celebrate Tampa’s most famous pirate, José Gaspar, at the Gasparilla Festival. The parade to honor José Gaspar features pirates sailing into Tampa Bay and coming ashore to demand the keys to the city from the mayor.
Why am I talking about pirates in an article about the business of medicine? Because there are new pirates trying to take the keys to your practice. These pirates do not dress the part or sail the seas looking for their next target to plunder; they hide on the internet taking control of your practice data until you pay their bounty. They will never be seen, but will wreak havoc on your practice and your ability to care for your patients. The José Gaspars of today are Internet pirates infecting your computer systems with ransomware.
Ransomware is a type of malware that attempts to deny access to a user’s data, usually by encrypting the data with an encryption key until a ransom is paid.1,2 The ransom is usually requested in cryptocurrency such as bitcoin.1
We have all read about—and some of us have been affected by—ransomware attacks on our electronic health record (EHR) systems, laboratory service providers, medical devices, and practice servers. Your office needs to be prepared to fend off the pirates of the Internet. Some actions that your practice can take include:
It is impossible to completely protect yourself from an attack, but you can create response plans if your system becomes compromised. Here are a few ideas to consider when developing an incident response strategy for your practice:
José Gaspar, Tampa’s most famous pirate, sailed the Gulf of Mexico attacking innocent ships, while the pirates of the Internet will try to get their bounty from your practice. Be ready to prevent these pirate attacks so you can continue to give your patients high-quality care without interruption. To borrow from a pirate’s vocabulary, give them no quarter, and show them no mercy or clemency!
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