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Cybertech (Engineering Group) protects hospitals

Cybertech (Engineering Group) protects hospitals

Pro bono cyber security services for hospitals and medical research centers thanks to the Incident Response Team.

Rome, April 26 2020

The collaboration with Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital and San Camillo Forlanini Hospital in Rome has begun

In a public health emergency where energy and resources are concentrated on fighting the coronavirus, there has been a surge in global cyber-attacks targeting the healthcare industry, from hospitals to ministries and departments of health, up to university clinics and research centers that manage large quantities of sensitive data, essential to the rescue mission taking place against an invisible enemy.

Like all nations, Italy hasn't been spared from cyber-attacks. So, Cybertech, an Engineering Group company with in-depth knowledge about the key processes of the healthcare industry and its potential vulnerabilities, is offering pro bono support to medical structures that have been strenuously engaged (for 2 months now) in the struggle that has overturned the country. In so doing, it will help raise their security levels and reduce exposure to external threats.

“The healthcare industry is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, given the quality and value of the data it processes. Historically speaking, healthcare operators have had to spend their budgets on other priorities, but cyber security and IT matters are now essential to supporting new healthcare delivery models. Medical information and records about citizens are highly sensitive and must not end up in the wrong hands,” commented Antonio Delli Gatti, Healthcare Director, Italy at Engineering. “Having worked alongside the Italian healthcare system for 40 years, Engineering is ready to support the country in this difficult time, offering its assistance on this front as well. With the support of Cybertech, we're offering our services to ensure the integrity of Italian hospitals, starting from some of the most important among them and our long-time partners,” concluded Delli Gatti.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Cybertech has offered its services to hospitals and clinics, assisting them in identifying the extent of their digital exposure to attacks and providing support when breaches are verified.

The first projects to get off the ground are those with Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital (already targeted in an attack in early April and where at the moment a first analysis activity was carried out allowing the measurement of the safety status of the systems in use at INMI L. Spallanzani)) and San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, both in Rome.

With the initial emergency over, Phase 2 will require healthcare facilities to manage sensitive patient data more than ever before, and with new technologies. Starting in the upcoming weeks, this will be a large vulnerability and problem that must be addressed. We decided to offer these hospitals our expertise in preventing cyber-attacks, providing the support of our Incident Response Team and our Control Room free of charge in order to protect personal data and ensure the timely restoration of systems and operations,” highlighted Roberto Mignemi, CEO of Cybertech.Over the past few weeks, Italy has demonstrated an overwhelming sense of pride and solidarity. This is our way of saying THANK YOU to the doctors, nurses and volunteers that have fought for all of us non-stop,” Mignemi concluded.

The first objective of Cybertech is to help hospitals and medical research companies have an overview of their security status in relation to their potential attack surface. The results of this first step will be evaluated to design a program to resolve or at least mitigate any detected vulnerabilities (re-entry plans), including in light of other factors, such as the sensitivity to the owner of the platform which was shown to be vulnerable (resolution priority).

The implementation of a periodic process to review the efficacy of the corrective measures put in place and to detect new vulnerabilities (monitoring), will facilitate the development of an organized hospital security management plan that will include further actions in the medium and long term that go beyond the objectives of the current Cybertech initiative.

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