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The FBI, HHS, and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an advisory on October 28 that highlighted increased ransomware activity targeting the healthcare and public health sectors. Ransomware is a type of computer virus (i.e. malware) that can disable systems, disrupt operations, and severely impact University and Health System services. In late September, Ransomware was reported to have disrupted operations at 250 Universal Health Services hospitals in the United States for more than a week.  

One way that ransomware is introduced to a university or health system is through phishing email. Phishing emails often entice recipients to click on a link embedded within the message or open an attachment. Before opening an email, “Stop, Think, Click.” Don’t click to open the attachment or link unless you know it is really from a trusted source. 

Receive a suspicious email? Do this:

If you receive a suspicious email, you can forward it to mccsecurity@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu and request a review. A Health IT Security analyst will respond to let you know whether the email is legitimate or not.

Here's what to look for:

• Suspicious sender’s address. The sender's address may imitate a legitimate business. Cybercriminals often use an email address that closely resembles one from a reputable company by altering or omitting a few characters. 

• Generic greetings and signature. Both a generic greeting—such as “Dear Valued Customer” or “Sir/Ma’am”—and a lack of contact information in the signature block are strong indicators of a phishing email. A trusted organization will normally address you by name and provide their contact information.

• Spoofed hyperlinks and websites. If you hover your cursor over any links in the body of the email, and the links do not match the text that appears when hovering over them, the link may be spoofed. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs .net). Additionally, cybercriminals may use a URL shortening service to hide the true destination of the link.

• Spelling and layout. Poor grammar and sentence structure, misspellings, and inconsistent formatting are other indicators of a possible phishing attempt. Reputable institutions have dedicated personnel that produce, verify, and proofread customer correspondence.

• Suspicious attachments. An unsolicited email requesting a user download or open an attachment is a common delivery mechanism for malware. A cybercriminal may use a false sense of urgency or importance to help persuade a user to download or open an attachment without examining it first.

Once you click on a link or open an email attachment, you could introduce malware or ransomware to your computer.  Once the ransomware gets a foothold on your computer, it attempts to spread to other nearby computers on our network. That single “click” could result in a “Superspreader Ransomware event”!   You are an important part of our ransomware defenses – Do your part to protect patient data and our systems!

For additional information on reporting suspicious emails, please visit the following Health System or University websites:

• https://hit.healthsystem.virginia.edu/departments/security/guides-tools-and-forms/whats-phishing/
• https://security.virginia.edu/what-is-phishing