Amy Hancock - Healthcare Employees and Ransomware

Amy Hancock, OTR
President/CEO


Healthcare Employees and Ransomware
Recently a ransomware virus, WannaCry, attacked health care providers in over 150 countries, and while the United States skirted this attack, I recognized this is yet another wake-up call for the importance of cybersecurity. Additionally, this becomes a good opportunity to convey a quick message to employees regarding these email threats.

Symantec’s 2017 Internet Security Threat Report indicates that 1 in 131 emails have malware attached to them. This is an alarming statistic and one that should not be taken lightly. Ransomware can infect your computer if an employee clicks on a link in the email or opens an attachment.  These cyber attackers have become more sophisticated over the years as their emails appear to be from someone within the employee’s company. The goal today is to alert employees not to open certain emails if they appear to be out of the norm. Examples would be, the subject line indicating “invoice”, “order”, “bill”, “payment” etc.  Ransomware tends to have a subject line that relates to the accounting department.


Thought for the day, unless you are 100% certain the email is authentic from a trusted source than do not click a link, open any attachment and immediately delete the email.


Meet Amy Hancock
Amy received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Amy started her LTC journey as a Certified Nursing Assistant in 1980. Today she has over 25 years of contract rehabilitation experience; as well as 35 years’ experience in the nursing home industry. Amy provides lectures across the state on Healthcare Reform for various organizations. She is active in attending regulatory meetings and conferences to maintain insight to stay ahead of the changes. Additionally, she serves as an elected official on the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.

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