(The Center Square) — A brand new learn about discovered Georgia has experienced 160 medical records breaches since 2009.
Comparitech analyzed information from 2009 to July 2023 and located Georgia’s breaches affected greater than 7.3 million records. That quantities to 68,907 records affected in line with 100,000 folks.
“As we are seeing, legislating against things like ransomware attacks is difficult,” Rebecca Moody, Comparitech’s head of data research, informed The Center Square in an e mail. “Some states are starting to introduce legislation which prevents certain entities from paying ransoms (North Carolina and Florida prevent government entities from paying ransoms, for example).
“And while organizations should be applauded for not entering into negotiations with hackers, this does often leave data vulnerable to exploitation,” Moody added. “As hackers increasingly target organizations with greater volumes of sensitive data (something medical organizations have in troves), ransoms aren’t the only potential financial gain for them. Selling huge volumes of data is arguably more fruitful as they can’t always guarantee a ransom but they can always sell the data.”
Internet safety has been a hot-button subject. In June, for instance, state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, mentioned Georgia must create a state information safety command, an motion that will have to be hastened following a Russian on-line safety assault that hit the University System of Georgia and several other federal businesses.
Additionally, a state House committee will debate web safety improvements for state businesses.
“While legislation around ransom payments may help, overcoming medical data breaches requires a multi-faceted approach and, ultimately, prevention is better than cure,” Moody mentioned. “Governments can aid organizations by helping them try to stay one step ahead of hackers by alerting them to potential vulnerabilities and offering key training and awareness.”
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