When 'Hacktivists' Target Your Hospital

Earlier this year, Boston Children's Hospital was targeted in a sustained cyberattack purportedly instigated by the hacker group known as Anonymous — an event that may carry lessons for other health care organizations that now rely heavily on electronic systems. Earlier this year, Boston Children's Hospital was targeted in a sustained cyberattack purportedly instigated by the hacker group known as Anonymous. With cybersecurity becoming an increasingly important focus for both corporations and individuals, and with electronic systems now central to most operational functions in health care organizations, it is important to learn whatever lessons we can from this event. Anonymous is a loose and decentralized international network of individuals who most often engage in what is called “hacktivism.” In the past, they have attacked entities as diverse as government agencies in the United States, Israel, and Tunisia, corporations such as . . .