Cybersecdn- A new study says that Oklahoma is one of the 10 states that will be least likely to be attacked by hackers in 2024. This evaluation comes after two different hospital systems in the state have been hacked several times in the last two months.
Hillcrest Healthcare System, a hospital group with locations in several states, was hit by ransomware in November. In addition, Integris Health was hit by another cyberattack not long ago. Even with these problems, cybersecurity experts say Oklahoma is in a good situation because it is one of the states least likely to be attacked in this way.
Specifically, NetworkBuildz’s study put Oklahoma at number 41 on the list of places that could be attacked online in 2024. Assistant professor at OU Polytechnic Institute Christopher Freeze said, “I think it shows that we’re lucky that we don’t have as many people as some of the bigger states do.” Freeze says that Oklahoma’s ranking in the study could be due to how aware its people are of cybersecurity issues or to the state’s age demographics.
“Our people are very well educated.” I thought it would be helpful to make some notes about the study. “For one thing, many of the states that they ranked highly have a lot of older people,” Freeze said. “One thing that we need to remember is that our elderly population is one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to cybercrime and fraud.”
It is also possible for hackers to target hospitals. Stephen Flowerday, a professor of cyber studies at the University of Tulsa, said, “A hospital cares about a person’s health.” Plus the systems aren’t very important. Since they haven’t kept their running systems up to date, they’re often weak.
Freeze says that’s a real risk and stresses how important it is to report hacks.
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We got a letter from Hillcrest HealthCare System today that said, among other things, the following about the two hospitals:
Ardent, the company that runs Hillcrest, has begun calling people whose information may have been stolen to give them more information and tips on how to keep their data safe.
Integris also said in a statement that they have found the people who were affected and are calling them to let them know about the problem, offer help, and give them a free 24-month trial of credit tracking and identity protection services.
