Computer security patches must be installed as soon as they are available.Microsoft has a free upgrade from Windows 7/8 to Windows 10 and Apple regularly releases updates to its MacOS/iOS. All computers should run the latest operating system they are capable of (Windows 10 or the most recent MacOs or IOS).Here are a few ways you can ensure that you are practicing your computer, mobile devices and critical software up-to-date Your continued efforts will not only protect UTMB’s computers and network resources, but also your personal devices, home networks and information. The Office of Information Security would like to remind everyone to practice good computer hygiene and to continue to be “Security Aware,” this is especially true during this time of remote work combined with the holiday online shopping season. For more information, contact the Office of Information Security at or 40. We have the ability to immediately purge malicious/suspicious email from our system, blocking embedded links and/or stripping away unwanted attachments. The sooner our incident response team becomes aware of the potential threat, the sooner we can take action against it. If you are the recipient of an email that appears to be malicious, report it to immediately. Typically, hundreds of individuals are the target of these types of email at the same time. If you are not sure about the email’s authenticity, send it to and we’ll validate it for you.If the email looks suspicious, delete it.If there is an attachment you were not expecting, don’t open it.If the message asks you to click on a link, hover over the link and make sure it is taking you to a place that makes sense.Make sure the message is from a source you are familiar with.(All external emails are marked with a, yellow warning banner across the top of the body of the email.) Scrutinize all email, especially if it originates outside UTMB.Our primary user-level defense is to identify, report and delete all malicious email that is designed to trick you into clicking a link or opening an attachment. We, as users of the UTMB network, have an obligation to take reasonable precautions to prevent the introduction of malicious software into our computer environment. But technical controls alone do not fully address the risk. This can have a devastating impact on an organization, especially if the person who falls victim has elevated computer or network privileges.įortunately, UTMB leadership understands information security risks and has invested in technical controls designed to help guard against these types of attacks. Once the link is clicked or the malicious attachment is opened, the ransomware automatically encrypts all files on the user’s computer and anything that the user (or the user’s computer) is connected to-including enterprise file servers, databases, applications, and other essential information resources. Ransomware is typically delivered via a phishing email that has been crafted to trick individuals into clicking a malicious link or opening an attached file. Critical information like patient records cannot be accessed until a ransom is paid for a code that will unlock, or remove the encryption from, the affected files and data. Ransomware is malicious software designed to render computer systems inoperable by encrypting (locking) stored data. This outage has caused appointments to be canceled and critical care patients to be diverted to other nearby hospitals.Īccording to Security Magazine, health care experienced a 123% increase in ransomware attacks in 2020, impacting 560 providers in the United States. On the other side of the continent, a major health organization has been severely impacted-unable to access their electronic medical record and other electronic systems used to deliver care in hospitals. Last week, ransomware shut down the largest gasoline pipeline in the US, halting the supply of fuel to 17 eastern states and the District of Columbia. Over the past several months, there have been numerous media reports about ransomware attacks impacting government agencies, private organizations, universities and health care facilities to the point they are unable to provide critical services to the communities they serve. IMPORTANT: White House Memo on Ransomeware
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