As many states continue to reopen businesses and permit more gatherings, public health officials are looking to contact tracing as a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19. In contact tracing, public health staff work with patients who have suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection to help them recall everyone with whom they had close
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City of L.A. Email Blunder Exposes COVID-19 Test Results to All Recipients
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, Cybersecurity
Although email seems to be the preferred method of communication during the coronavirus pandemic, an error made by a City of Los Angeles employee is one to learn from and avoid repeat.
Unfortunately, when emailing COVID-19 results to multiple individuals, instead of blind copying the recipients with the results, a staff member from the City…
Microsoft Issues Cybersecurity Risk Warning and Offers Help to Hospitals During COVID-19 Crisis
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, Cybersecurity
On April 1, 2020, Microsoft issued a specific warning to health care entities alerting them that they are at particular risk during the COVID-19 crisis, as threat actors are using the pandemic to take advantage of vulnerabilities while hospitals are focused on responding to the crisis.
According to Microsoft “[D]uring this time of crisis, as…
OCR Issues Additional Guidance on HIPAA for Providers and First Responders on COVID-19 Front Lines
By Conor Duffy on
Posted in Coronavirus, HIPAA and Health Information
On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued new HIPAA guidance to help providers and first responders in its efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
OCR’s guidance addresses when HIPAA allows disclosures without patient authorization of identifying health information to first responders – such…
Privacy Tip #232 – Spam Phone Calls Rampant for Remote Workers
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Privacy Tips, Telephone Consumer Protection Act
For those of us who work outside of the home during normal times, we know when we are home on the weekends not to answer our home telephone unless we recognize the number or caller. The same is, of course, true for our mobile phones. If the caller is someone we know, they will leave…
COVID-19 Vaccine Test Lab Hit by Maze Ransomware
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
Despite the fact that the hackers behind Maze ransomware previously promised not to hit medical organizations during the coronavirus pandemic, it recently attacked a British medical lab that is slated to test COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic. The Maze hackers previously said publicly that it would “stop all activity versus all kinds of medical organizations…
HHS Issues Confusing Limited Waiver on Sharing of Patient Information Following COVID-19
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, HIPAA and Health Information
Acknowledging the “additional challenges” on health care providers following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued several waivers for covered entities to address the need to share patient information after the President declared a national emergency concerning COVID-19.
One of the waivers issued by HHS is to “waive…
Coronavirus and Remote Workers: Consider Increased Risk of Insider Threat Issues
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, New + Now
The conference I was supposed to speak at next week was just cancelled, as many are and will be, due to coronavirus concerns. The topic was “Insider Threats and How to Mitigate Them.” One of the points I was going to make was that insider threats, both malicious and unintentional, are an ongoing and serious…
Privacy Tip #229 – Two RSA Conference Attendees Test Positive for Coronavirus
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, Privacy Tips
Our firm is a proud member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), as are those of many of my colleagues in the industry. I attend the IAPP Global Privacy Summit every year, and have done so since (I think) 2004. Yikes. Back in the early days, hundreds of individuals attended the conference in…
Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights Issues Guidance Regarding HIPAA Privacy and Novel Coronavirus
By Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) last month provided guidance and a reminder to HIPAA covered entities and their business associates regarding the sharing of patient health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule during an outbreak or emergency situation such as what we are all facing right now…