Online Public Relations Thoughts

 Ransomware attacks are a major PR issue for the nation's hospitals.  Although there is little to be done once one occurs, the question remains whether a hospital had adequate cyber security in the first place to prevent it.  The answer is frequently they have not.  Attacks like this are life threatening and a tremendous strain on a system's operations and personnel.  Even though security is costly, it is less expensive than handling and cleaning up after an attack.  There is no excuse for a failure to have strong security.  The public has known for decades that such attacks are occurring, and it is up to organizations to stop them.  A best-efforts excuse a hospital might use will increasingly ring hollow.  Saying, "We did our best to stop intrusion, but it happened anyway," won't buy much protection in a lawsuit.  It is past time to become deeply concerned about cybersecurity and reputations of hospitals and other organizations will rest on keeping systems safe.