DHS has sent hundreds of vulnerability notifications to medical sector during coronavirus pandemic

DHS has sent hundreds of vulnerability notifications to medical sector during coronavirus pandemic

The Department of Homeland Security has sent hundreds of tailored notifications of potential vulnerabilities to the medical sector since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to an official who spoke Wednesday at a webinar hosted by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.


The notifications are not evidence of breaches, but they provide a snapshot of just how many potential targets hackers have in the medical industry as the pandemic spreads.

Bryan Ware, assistant director for cybersecurity for Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, said the U.S. government has a secret working list of coronavirus research institutions that it can give prioritized cybersecurity protections.




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The list of organizations, referred to within CISA as "Tier 1" institutions, is a short collection of under 100 universities and pharmaceutical companies working to create and distribute vaccines or other coronavirus treatments and are natural targets for elite hackers.









May 13, 202001:34

"At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized just how vital the healthcare sector was to the response," Ware said in an email.


The new details show how the government has responded to cybersecurity threats during the pandemic, which have included efforts from sophisticated, state-backed hackers.

In May, CISA and the FBI issued a technical advisory warning that China was engaged in a robust campaign to hack institutions involved in coronavirus research, consistent with a longstanding campaign ..

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