Symantec Announces New Cyberattack Threat to Health Care Sector

A group called Orangeworm has been observed installing malicious software called a custom backdoor Trojan within large international corporations that operate in the health care sector in the United States, Europe and Asia, cybersecurity software company Symantec announced today. First identified in January 2015, Orangeworm has also conducted targeted attacks against organizations in related industries as part of a larger supply-chain attack, the company said. Known victims include health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, health care information technology solution providers, and medical device and equipment manufacturers. For more information on detecting and protecting against the malware, see the Symantec blog post. “The Symantec report and other recent related reports from the government clearly indicate the health care field in the United States remains a top target of cyber adversaries,” said John Riggi, AHA senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk. “Concerning in this report is that the Orangeworm group are highly deliberate in their target selection; they attack the health care supply chain; and the Kwampirs malware has been found on high-tech imaging devices. According to the report, they are likely conducting corporate espionage, though the exact motives are unclear. Ensuring anti-virus and intrusion prevention systems are frequently updated and medical devices are effectively patched can assist in mitigating this threat.”