UnHack with Drex DeFord

By This Week Health

Cyber-safety is patient-safety. On “UnHack,” Drex DeFord, veteran healthcare CIO and infused strategist, breaks down the biggest cybersecurity and risk challenges facing healthcare today. Drex and exp... more

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FAQs about UnHack with Drex DeFord:

How many episodes does UnHack with Drex DeFord have?

The podcast currently has 202 episodes available.

UnHack with Drex DeFord episodes:

June 20, 2025 UnFake: Synthetic Faces, Real Crimes - The 5 Million Dollar Deepfake Scam with Drex DeFord
June 20, 2025: Drex dives deep into a chilling case study of AI-powered financial fraud. Learn how cybercriminals used deepfake technology to steal $5 million through a fake CEO video call, and discover why 90% of internet content could be AI-generated by 2026. Learn what to look for and where the threats are evolving in this episode of UnFake.
NotebookLM podcast sourced from Eric O’Neill | Speaker, Cybersecurity Expert, Legendary Spy Hunter
Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid
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16min
June 19, 2025 2 Minute Drill: Iran Cyber Threats, Microsoft Scams, and the 1300% Deepfake Surge with Drex DeFord
Drex breaks down three critical cybersecurity developments healthcare organizations need to monitor. First, escalating geopolitical tensions suggest increased cyber attacks from Iran and allied nations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, including healthcare systems. Second, Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports sophisticated Microsoft Teams impersonation attacks where scammers pose as supervisors to request urgent actions like software installation or payments. Finally, deepfake fraud attempts skyrocketed 1300% in 2024, with new "spoofing as a service" platforms making AI-powered voice and video scams more accessible to cybercriminals. Healthcare IT leaders should prepare defenses against these evolving threats and educate staff on verification protocols for suspicious requests.

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4min
June 17, 2025UnFake Trailer: A Journey Down the Digital Deception Rabbit Hole with Drex DeFord
After a HIMSS conference presentation on North Korean hackers posing as remote employees led him down an unexpected rabbit hole, Drex unveils his new intermittent series "UnFake". Dive into a world of digital deception and synthetic media, as Drex sets out to help you the listener stay protected and discern fact from fiction in the increasingly complicated field of cybersecurity.
You've Been Catfished: The New Remote-Work Employee You Just Hired Is Actually A North Korean Hacker

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3min
June 16, 2025Newsday: The Looming Hospital Capacity Crisis and Nurse Violence with Philipp von Gilsa
June 16, 2025: Philipp von Gilsa, CEO of Kontakt.io, joins Bill Russell for the news. What happens when America's hospitals reach dangerous occupancy thresholds that could make them unable to function properly? And as workplace violence against healthcare workers spikes, what combination of technology and process can effectively protect staff? The conversation delves into the tension between technology capabilities and practical healthcare applications, questioning whether approaches to new innovations like AI are simply recycling the same discussions we've had about cloud and IoT in previous years. As healthcare leaders face these converging challenges, how can they remain focused on core priorities?
Key Points:
02:22 America's Hospital Bed Shortage Crisis

15:14 Overpromising and Underdelivering

21:21 Workplace Violence in Hospitals

News Articles:
America’s Hospital-Bed Shortage Is About to Become a Crisis

Connected health needs more provider collaboration for better data integration

AHA report finds workplace and community violence costs hospitals more than $18 billion annually

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32min
June 12, 2025 2 Minute Drill: Maine Attacks, AT&T Breach, and Login.gov Vulnerabilities with Drex DeFord
Drex covers three critical cybersecurity incidents: dual cyber attacks affecting healthcare systems in Lewiston, Maine; an AT&T database breach exposing 86 million records with decrypted sensitive data; and concerning backup management issues at login.gov that could impact government service access. The episode concludes with a practical reminder to test backup systems regularly.
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4min
June 09, 2025Newsday: Zombie Apps and the $65 Million IT Wake-Up Call with Jason Rose
June 9, 2025: Healthcare organizations face an unprecedented challenge as potential Medicaid cuts threaten heavy IT staff reductions, but what if the real solution lies hidden in plain sight within their own systems? Jason Rose, CEO of Clearsense, discusses how "zombie applications" - applications that are neither fully alive nor completely dead - are silently draining millions from healthcare budgets. The conversation delves into the harsh realities of crisis governance models, the hidden costs of transition service agreements, and whether healthcare leaders are prepared to make the difficult operational decisions required in the days ahead.
Enjoyed the Discussion? Dive Deeper with “How Application Portfolio Management Accelerates M&A Value in Healthcare”
Key Points:
01:43 Zombie Applications

04:30 Mergers and Acquisitions

08:30 Cost Reduction Strategies

11:47 Real-World Examples and Case Studies

News Articles:
Leading Through the Storm: Functioning After a 20% IT Staff Reduction

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24min
June 04, 2025 2 Minute Drill: Kettering's Epic Recovery and Fred Hutch $52M Settlement with Drex DeFord
Drex covers four major healthcare cybersecurity developments: Kettering Health's Epic systems recovery following their May 20th cyber attack, with core components now operational while inbound calling systems remain down. Covenant Health faces a new cybersecurity incident affecting three hospitals in Maine and New Hampshire. Seattle's Fred Hutch Cancer Center agreed to a $52 million class action settlement after criminals from their 2023 breach directly threatened patients with data exposure. Plus, a mysterious whistleblower called "Gang Exposed" has leaked thousands of chat logs and documents exposing key figures in the Conti and TrickBot ransomware operations, potentially providing crucial evidence against Russian cybercriminals.

Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid

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3min
June 02, 2025 2 Minute Drill: Kettering Health Cyber Recovery and CISA Leadership Exodus with Drex DeFord
Drex covers Kettering Health's week-long cyber attack recovery with radiation oncology back online, the mass exodus of CISA leadership amid federal downsizing, and the growing frustration over lack of comprehensive federal cybersecurity strategy for healthcare. Discussion includes regional coordination during cyber incidents and the reality that hospitals are fighting nation-state actors without adequate government support.
Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid
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6min
June 02, 2025Newsday: Imaging AI Expansion and Apple-Only Hospitals with Chris Jenkins
June 2, 2025: Chris Jenkins, EVP of Digital Strategy and Enterprise Imaging for Healthlink Advisors, joins Bill for the news. As the industry appears to shift focus from cybersecurity to AI adoption, they explore whether this transition is happening too quickly. Then, what does it mean when four major health systems make strategic investments in companies like Rad AI? The conversation also covers Emory Healthcare's decision to deploy the first fully Apple-powered hospital, raising questions about whether this represents a meaningful shift away from traditional Microsoft-dominated environments or simply an expensive experiment.

Key Points:
05:00 AI Imaging Expansion

09:05 Google I/O and Use Cases

15:55 Emory Apple Only Hospital

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23min
May 28, 2025 2 Minute Drill: Vibe Coding Risks and AI Deepfake Threats With Drex DeFord
Drex explores two critical cybersecurity threats facing healthcare: the rise of "vibe coding" where non-programmers use AI like Anthropic's Claude to create functional code, creating potential operational risks from undocumented projects, and increasingly sophisticated AI deepfakes from tools like Google's VO3 that cybercriminals are weaponizing for phishing attacks. He emphasizes the need for healthcare leaders to inventory AI coding projects and prepare defenses against deepfake-based social engineering, while previewing his upcoming discussion on North Korean cyber operations targeting Western companies.
Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid
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Donate: Alex’s Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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5min

FAQs about UnHack with Drex DeFord:

How many episodes does UnHack with Drex DeFord have?

The podcast currently has 202 episodes available.