Lazarus Alliance unveils the next generation of cyber-crime prevention for healthcare HIPAA regulations.

Lazarus Alliance released the next generation antidote to fight cyber crime, compliance failures, corporate fraud and criminal cyber-misconduct with the IT Audit Machine (ITAM).

Considered to be the best assessment tool for governance, risk and compliance (GRC) in the global business community, this next generation of ITAM ups the ante by managing big data and frameworks with virtually endless possibilities. These new enterprise capabilities coupled with the already powerful analytic and logic features are a technological force to be reckoned with.

Michael Peters, CEO of Lazarus Alliance said “The IT Audit Machine HIPAA regulations and compliance assessment modules are just one of the many innovations from Lazarus Alliance that really sets us apart from other cyberspace Security, governance, risk and compliance firms.”

Gone are the days where audits, assessments and compliance work was overshadowed by endless spreadsheets, version control madness, escalating costs and audit anarchy. The IT Audit Machine puts the power of technology, collaboration and simplicity to work for the entire enterprise and does it in a progressive, proactive way.

Cyber-crime prevention is of paramount concern to organizations of all sizes, all industries and on all parts of the world. Lazarus Alliance put its extensive experience in cybercrime and fraud prevention in the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) spaces to work for the global business community.

“Healthcare providers globally are under increasing attack by cyber criminals. These criminal acts could have been prevented through a proactive cyber security position. Lazarus Alliance is proactive cyber security with our HIPAA compliance and assessment automation modules.” said Peters.

Lazarus Alliance’s primary purpose is to help organizations attain, maintain, and demonstrate compliance and information security excellence, in any jurisdiction. Lazarus Alliance specializes in IT security, risk, privacy, governance, cyberspace law and compliance leadership solutions and is fully dedicated to global success in these disciplines.

Learn more about Lazarus Alliance and why Lazarus Alliance is Proactive Cyber Security™!

Human hacking, also known as social engineering, has surpassed hardware and software vulnerabilities and is now the top cybersecurity threat, Computer Weekly reports:

[A]ttackers shifted away from automated exploits in 2015. Instead, attackers engaged people through email, social media and mobile apps to do the dirty work of infecting systems, stealing credentials and transferring funds.

 Researchers found that machine exploits were replaced by human exploitation, with attackers opting for attachment-based social engineering campaigns rather than purchasing expensive technical exploit kits.

 Across attacks of all sizes, threat actors used social engineering to trick people into doing things that once depended on malicious code.

What is Human Hacking?

Human hacking is a type of con during which, instead of trying to hack into a system, the hacker engages in old-fashioned espionage techniques that involve human interaction and prey on weaknesses in human psychology, such as helpfulness, curiosity—even greed. A human hacker may approach an access-controlled door carrying a number of packages and pretend to fumble for their key or access card; an unsuspecting employee, thinking they are being helpful to a co-worker, opens the door for the hacker. This technique is known in the industry as tailgaiting. Or, using the pretexting technique, the hacker may phone an employee, pose as a help desk worker, and attempt to get the employee to provide their system access credentials.

These simple techniques are surprisingly effective. TechTarget reports that a human hacker recently used pretexting to compromise the U.S. Department of Justice. The hacker phoned the DOJ, pretending to be a new employee who was having difficulty accessing the department’s web portal. The hacker was quickly provided with a token that granted him full access to the DOJ intranet. As a result, information on 20,000 FBI agents and 9,000 Department of Homeland Security employees was publicly leaked.

Other common human hacking techniques include:

• Baiting takes advantage of human curiosity—or, in some cases, greed. The attacker puts a legitimate-looking and interesting label (such as “Employee Salary Report Q4”) on a malware-infected device, such as a USB drive, then leaves it in a place where someone will find it, such as a bathroom, a hallway, or an elevator. Then, the hacker simply waits for someone to pick up the device and insert it into their computer.
• Phishing is a technique most Internet users have seen in action. The hacker (or phisher) sends an email that appears to be from a legitimate source, usually a bank or another business. The email requests that the receiver “verify” information by clicking on a link and warns of dire consequences, such as their account being deactivated, if the receiver does not do so. The link leads to a legitimate-looking but fraudulent website that requests personal information, such as online banking access credentials or even a debit card PIN.
• Spear phishing is a more targeted form of phishing where a particular individual or organization is phished, as opposed to random mass attacks.
• A Scareware scheme combines malware and human psychology. The con involves tricking victims into believing they have downloaded illegal content or that their computers have been infected with malware. The human hacker then offers the victim a “fix” in the form of a download – which is actually malware.

How Can Your Organization Prevent Human Hacking?

As with all cyber security issues, the best defense is a good offense. Lazarus Alliance recommends that organizations take a proactive approach to preventing human hacking, beginning with establishing a comprehensive cyber security policy and employee training program. If employees are aware of the types of cons human hackers run, they can learn to identify and report them before any damage is done.

Additionally, organizations that conduct ongoing risk assessments and fix the gaps identified are on average a whopping 96% less likely to suffer a breach by hackers. Lazarus Alliance recommends organizations of any size implement a risk management program sooner than later when it may be too late.

Lazarus Alliance offers full-service risk assessment and risk management services helping companies all around the world sustain a proactive cyber security program. Lazarus Alliance is proactive cyber security®. Call 1-888-896-7580 to discuss your organization’s cyber security needs and find out how we can help you prevent human hacking.

Hackers Hold Hollywood Healthcare Hostage

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoin to hackers who seized control of the hospital’s computer systems holding them a healthcare hostage. The cyber assault on Hollywood Presbyterian occurred Feb. 5, 2016, when hackers using malware infected the institution’s computers, preventing hospital staff from being able to communicate from those devices.

In 2015 the most cyber crime bloodletting occurred in healthcare and 2016 is already trending to the same trajectory. Cyber security providers out there offer Band-aid solutions but what the healthcare industry needs is a cure. Continuum GRC has the solution that can inoculate your organization against these threats, preventing hackers from holding your patients and your business a healthcare hostage.

What could Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center have done differently to have avoided being a victim to hackers? For starters, they could have taken a proactive approach and identified where their risks were, but instead they took a reactive approach, and now their business has been damaged. The cyber security experts at Continuum GRC know that when you take a proactive approach to security, compliance, audit and governance, you eliminate the potential for sending your business to the emergency room or worse yet, the morgue!

The following steps are proven to help:

1. Conduct a systematic standards-based risk assessment of your organization
2. Complete an internal controls assessment using industry frameworks to guide you through the process
3. Proactively review all threat vectors eliminating them before criminals exploit them

Sound daunting? We know it is and that is why Continuum GRC takes the guesswork and complexity out of the assessment and certification process. Subscribe to the best tools that are guaranteed to help you avoid becoming a victim to hackers.

Check this out for yourself by contacting us at 1-888-896-6207 or just sign-up for a free trial.

Additionally, Lazarus Alliance offers full-service HIPAA and risk assessment services utilizing Continuum GRC tools to protect your business. Lazarus Alliance is Proactive Cyber Security®. Call 1-888-896-7580 now for the experts in proactive cyber security, audit & compliance, risk management and cyber governance!