Much scrutiny has been given to the treatment for COVID-19 and the use of funds in fighting it. In time, the local, state, and federal governments will be investigating or prosecuting organizations accepting COVID-19 funds or treating those with the coronavirus. Covered entities, such as healthcare providers and health plans, might be served with subpoenas and discovery requests. It is important to know how to manage the release or disclosure of patient information subject to these requests.
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Healthcare Providers Beware: HIPAA Applies When Complying With Subpoenas Posted on: August 18, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
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Business Email Compromise Attacks on the Rise in 2020 Posted on: June 18, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
A business email compromise (BEC) is a cyber crime that utilizes access to an organization’s email to defraud that organization and its employees, customers, or partners. In 2020, COVID-19 has provided attackers with a new source for BEC exploits. Attackers are taking advantage of the need for communications surrounding COVID-19 and increased remote work connections from employee home networks to their employers’ corporate networks.
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Accounting Firm Vulnerability During Tax Season – Now Extended to July 15 Posted on: April 16, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
Last month, the IRS extended the usual April 15 tax filing deadline to July 15. While this brings relief to those facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it also extends the window of opportunity for cybercriminals to attack accounting firms.
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How to Protect Yourself from Zoom-Hijacking Posted on: April 09, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
On March 30, 2020, the FBI announced that it has received multiple reports of video-teleconferencing (VTC) hijacking attacks in recent weeks. The attacks target the VTC platform Zoom and involve unidentified individuals joining online meetings and disrupting them with pornographic and/or hate images and speech. This type of attack is being referred to as “Zoom-bombing.”
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OCR Announces HIPAA Telehealth Security Waiver in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic Posted on: March 20, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the body responsible for enforcing certain regulations pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), is exercising its enforcement discretion to meet the needs of health care providers and patients during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) public health emergency.
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ALERT: COVID-19 / Coronavirus-Related Ransomware and Phishing Attacks Posted on: March 13, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response
With the advent of the Coronavirus, criminals have begun to take advantage of what consumers expect to receive via email to conduct phishing attacks. Criminals are also expected to take advantage of millions of vulnerable remote connections from employee home networks to their corporate networks.
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