Experts warn hospitals need to do more to protect patient data from cyberattacks

A ransomware attack on five Ont. hospitals in Oct. forced a number of patients, including those who needed cancer treatment, to be diverted to another site because their medical records may have been inaccessible. In this call for action, doctors with expertise in the management of medical information warn that clinicians who access medical records should be trained annually to recognize phishing attempts used to install malware that infect a system and encrypt data. They urged hospitals, labs and clinics to stop relying on older systems that have outdated security measures and use two-factor authentication and strong passwords. When attacks occur, they say staff should immediately take measures such as disconnecting devices from the internet, restoring systems from backups and getting help from external vendors.