Then a Hacker Began Posting Patients’ Deepest Secrets Online

So much of this seems to stem from poor practices handling such sensitive data, especially plaintext records that aren’t anonymized. It’s astonishing!

I think it underscores the value of stringent security requirements like HIPAA. I wouldn’t touch medical records code with a ten foot pole, but I’m glad there are safeguards in place to minimize carelessness with my medical history…this article illustrates the catastrophic potential of a lax security posture :/

When I read the line about the patient offering to pay the ransom in full to stop his information from being shared, the "Shut Up and Dance" ransom episode from Black Mirror jumped out in my mind.

Eventually most people's most sensitive info will be publicly accessible; after all, can anyone reasonably expect to trust institutions from hacks and ransomware with how little most orgs/contractors care for security? hopefully this is an extremely cynical view