Red Security

Quote:More than 1 billion medical images are believed to be exposed online as medical practitioners continue to upload them to unsecured databases. Discovered by German cybersecurity firm Greenbone Networks, the exposure follows a similar report from the company in September that detailed 24 million medical records on 590 online medical image archive systems.

Quote:“Leaving a database publicly accessible filled with confidential files, images, and personally identifiable information is inexcusable in today’s advanced threat landscape,” Anurag Kahol, chief technology officer of cloud access security broker Bitglass Inc., told SiliconANGLE. “Companies handling medical records are heavily targeted by cybercriminals, therefore, they must take every precaution necessary to protect patient data.”

Kahol said hundreds of hospitals, medical offices and imaging centers have contributed to the exposure, so they’ll likely face penalties for violating HIPAA compliance regulations and could receive hefty fines.