Weekly Cybersecurity Recap December 9
Table of Contents
- By Steven
- Published: Dec 09, 2022
- Last Updated: Dec 09, 2022
The holidays are closing in: we repeat, the holidays are closing in! This is not a drill! While the holidays mean too much cooking, wrapping, and estranged-family exposure, that’s not the only thing you should worry about. Because of what experts call “holiday desperation,” certain types of crime increase around the holidays.
There haven’t been a lot of studies into the tides of cybercrime, but a good number of cybersecurity experts have stated cybercrime will likely increase around the holidays. There may be several reasons for this, but the most obvious is the level of distraction; when we’re using all of our cards all over the place, we’re less likely to notice the unauthorized use of one of these cards. It’s also easier for hackers to access major corporations’ systems because most companies scramble around the holidays.
Stanley Street Treatment and Resources
When we think hackers, we see Hugh Jackman playing with a 3D model of a cube (an illogical coding method) or Kirsten Vangsness in a room filled with computers and the latest crazy hair. While the stereotype of a social outcast huddled in a dark room is less common than we think, it likely made an abnormal appearance with the SSTAR breach. The breach was described as a system breach that affected approximately 45 thousand individuals. Most of the victims had incredibly sensitive information involved in the breach. Social security numbers, government IDs, financial account information, and certain medical information, among other things, were involved.
Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District
Working at a hospital in today’s day and age is a hazardous job. With the number of diseases and viruses circulating, not to mention the now almost common threat of a shooter walking into a crowded place, everyone who works at a hospital deserves an award – or at the very least, a vacation. They shouldn’t have to worry about their and their patient’s online security alongside everything else, but it is a mounting threat anywhere with medical records. The Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District announced the data breach very soon after its occurrence and, luckily, had very little information involved. Many hacks have had millions of victims, but DHCHD managed to get away with only 69 thousand. This one involved social security numbers, insurance information, demographic information, full names, and certain medical information.
Mena Regional Health System
Yet another hospital has been added to the list: Mena Regional Health System. This one didn’t get off nearly as easily as others. “MRHS determined that an unauthorized party removed a limited number of files from our system,” stated the company’s notice. “Upon detecting the incident, MRHS commenced an immediate and thorough investigation and alerted law enforcement. As part of our investigation, MRHS engaged leading cybersecurity experts to identify what personal information, if any, might have been present in the impacted files.” The list of stolen information includes but is not limited to driver’s licenses, lab results, social security numbers, full names, and health insurance information.
Snap Finance
Don’t worry; we’re talking about Snap Finance, not Snap Fitness. Your gym is safe. However, anyone using a finance company has found themselves at incredibly high risk for identity theft and other types of fraud. Not much is known about the breach, but we are aware of a filing with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The company hasn’t disclosed exactly how many customers were affected, but it did list the affected data: addresses, social security numbers, names, government IDs, and financial account information.
Sequoia HR
Sequoia works with thousands of companies, many of which are startups. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you’re the hacker), this gives the company access to quite a lot of personal information. The odd thing about this hack is that the company is sure it occurred but can’t figure out how the perpetrator got into its systems. Luckily, there is no evidence of the misuse of any data stolen in the breach, though the list is incredibly long. Vaccination, marital, employment status, demographic information, birthdays, and more were included in the breach.
