The "weaponization of data" in cyberattacks - where cybercriminals not only deploy ransomware but threaten to release stolen data on the internet - has quickly become one of the biggest threats facing many healthcare sector entities, says Adam Meyers of CrowdStrike.

In 2019, 23 cities across Texas were struck by one of the largest ransomware attacks ever in the U.S. The attack, which involved the REvil ransomware, started with a compromised managed service provider. While the cities recovered quickly, the MSP sustained irreparable damage.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an analysis of takedowns of multiple Russian-language cybercrime markets and communities by Russian authorities. It also describes the role of cryptocurrencies in the banking sector and how the identity market will evolve in 2022.

Regulators should require all medical device makers to include a baseline of certain cybersecurity protections in their products and to build in a feature that allows safe vulnerability scanning of their devices, says researcher Daniel Bardenstein, a strategist at CISA.

You can see it in the headlines: Apps are a prominent vector for adversaries to get entry into organizations and access to the digital crown jewels. Daniel Shugrue of Digital.ai tells why "shift left" means far more than just testing software for vulnerabilities.

This edition of the ISMG Security Report analyzes what prosecutors say is the biggest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. history as well as the biggest financial seizure. It also details how a school district CISO resigned over the district's handling of a severe data breach and busts Zero Trust myths.

Jeff Williams, co-founder and CTO of Contrast Security, says people have a right to know if the products they use are secure. It's difficult to tell if software is secure, he says, so companies need incentives to build good security programs, improve their software and disclose any flaws they find.

Michael Hamilton, CISO at security firm Critical Insight, discusses health data breach trends. The bad news: The number of major breaches reported to regulators in 2021 hit a record high. The good news: The rate of breaches reported last year compared to 2020 appears to be slowing down.

It is essential that entities across all industries - and especially in healthcare - better prepare every type and level of worker on how to respond to potentially devastating ransomware attacks, says privacy and security attorney Erik Weinick of law firm Otterbourg PC.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report features an analysis of how Russia's escalation in Ukraine is raising cyber defense alarms. It also describes how a Dark Overlord collaborator received a three-year prison sentence and shares tips for Zero Trust implementation.