Hackers do not always target retail stores and banks; they also target hospitals. By doing so, they can obtain a significant amount of extremely sensitive information. Recent research identifies what types of information hackers steal during a hospital data breach. Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, revealed what types of data leak from secure servers during hospital data breaches. They published their study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.This type of data breach can have severe consequences for the people whose information the hackers obtain says John (Xuefeng) Jiang, lead author and MSU professor of accounting and information systems. He adds that it is not always financial fraud or identity theft that happens as a result. It can also lead to the misuse of sensitive, medical information. The researchers say that another area of concern involves the Department of Health and Human Services and Congress. The organization has recently introduced new rules to encourage more data sharing. According to the researchers, data sharing has the unfortunate side effect of increasing the risk of data breaches. (Credit: www.medicalnewstoday.com)
