The departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services and the National Security Agency this week alerted the field to a significant vulnerability affecting the Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS firewall software that cyber attackers could easily exploit remotely via the internet.

The alert recommends patches, mitigations and workarounds to address the vulnerability.

"This is very serious vulnerability rated as a 10 out of 10 on the vulnerability severity scale,” noted John Riggi, AHA senior advisor for cybersecurity and risk. “In the current COVID-19 expanded telework and telehealth environment, it should be expected that nation-state adversaries and criminals will attempt to hack hospitals and health systems via this vulnerability to steal sensitive data and medical research." 

Hospitals and health systems may direct questions on cybersecurity and risk to Riggi at jriggi@aha.org.

Related News Articles

Headline
Microsoft July 22 released an update on the ongoing cyberattacks to SharePoint servers used within organizations, attributing the incidents to China-based…
Headline
The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center…
Headline
Microsoft July 19 issued an alert about active attacks from vulnerabilities targeting SharePoint servers used within organizations. The incidents have not…
Headline
In his latest AHA Cyber and Risk Intel blog, Scott Gee, AHA deputy national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, explains how hospitals can prepare for and…
AHA Cyber Intel
In today’s heightened threat environment, driven by domestic and geopolitical issues, it is more critical than ever for hospitals to prepare for and mitigate…
Headline
In a statement submitted to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a hearing today on health care cybersecurity and patient privacy,…