Content by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Medical Center Fraud Cases: 2 Indicted

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 29, 2015

The Department of Justice has announced the indictments of two individuals in separate fraud cases affecting the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The cases spotlight the challenges healthcare organizations face in the fight against fraud.

Shoring Up HealthCare.gov Security

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 26, 2015

As hackers increasingly focus their attacks on the government and healthcare sectors, it's more critical to ensure that consumers' personal data is handled securely on Obamacare's HealthCare.gov website as well as state health insurance exchanges.

Hospital ID Theft Leads to Fraud

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 22, 2015

Eight alleged members of an identity theft ring, including a former assistant clerk at Montefiore Medical Center, have been indicted on a variety of charges stemming from using stolen patient information to make purchases at retailers.

Insurer Seeks Breach Settlement Repayment

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  June 4, 2015

A cyber-insurer that paid more than $4 million to settle a class action suit filed against its client, Cottage Health, in the wake of a 2013 data breach is now trying to claw back the payments. What lessons can others learn from the dispute?

The State of Healthcare Information Security 2015

Presented by Geoffrey Bibby , Michael Bruemmer , Marianne Kolbasuk McGee , Scott McLeod  •  May 13, 2015

What are the biggest cyberthreats facing healthcare entities today and on the horizon? What steps are healthcare organizations taking to prevent and detect breaches? And what are the top data security priorities for the year ahead? For answers to these questions and many more, check out the Healthcare Information...

Defending Against Hacker Attacks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  May 4, 2015

Security expert Mike Canavan of Kaspersky Lab North America pinpoints several critical security steps that organizations can take to help reduce the likelihood they'll become a victim of a hacking attack.

Partners HealthCare Reports Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 30, 2015

Partners HealthCare System announced that it is the latest healthcare organization hit by a data breach attributed to a phishing attack. The records of an estimated 3,300 individuals may have been compromised in the incident.

Pentagon Updates Cyberdefense Strategy

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 24, 2015

The Department of Defense has unveiled an updated cybersecurity strategy that officially acknowledges for the first time that the U.S. military is willing to use cyberwarfare to defend U.S. interests against cyber-enemies.

Banks Try to Block Target Settlement

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 23, 2015

A group of financial institutions affected by the 2013 Target data breach is asking a court to stop the settlement between the retailer and MasterCard that would provide $19 million to card issuers, saying the amount is grossly inadequate.

POS Vendor Reports Malware Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 22, 2015

Point-of-sale systems provider Harbortouch Payments has confirmed that it recently identified and contained a malware breach that affected "a small percentage" of the merchants that it serves.

SSNs to Disappear from Medicare Cards

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 21, 2015

President Obama has signed a bill that provides $320 million in funding to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare ID cards in an effort to fight identity theft and fraud. Find out the time line.

Hotel Company Reveals Second Breach

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 9, 2015

White Lodging Services Corp. has revealed a malware attack against point-of-sale systems at 10 of the hotels it manages, potentially exposing payment card data. The disclosure comes about a year after it confirmed a similar malware-related breach.

Study to Probe Healthcare Cyber-Attacks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 6, 2015

The Health Information Trust Alliance is attempting to launch a study, fueled by anonymized data gathered from healthcare organizations, to get a better understanding about the severity and pervasiveness of cyber-attacks in the sector.

Nine Plead Guilty in $20 Million Fraud Scheme

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 2, 2015

Nine individuals have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from their roles in an identity fraud scheme. Among the defendants is a former military hospital worker who stole soldiers' personal information to file false federal tax returns, prosecutors say.

Why Cyber-Insurers Will Demand Better InfoSec

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee  •  April 1, 2015

As more mega-breaches occur, cyber-insurers will more closely assess the security risks of potential clients, leading more organizations to improve their information security programs, attorney John Yanchunis predicts.