Cynerio collaborates with Microsoft on cybersecurity for healthcare industry

NEW YORK – On May 29, 2023, Mountain View Hospital and its partner clinics in Idaho Falls were hit by a cyber attack, affecting critical computer systems, and interfering with the operation of life saving devices, and it's only one of the most recent attacks on the healthcare industry.

Fortunately, cybersecurity vendors are moving to counter these incidents with enhanced security offerings and solutions, as is the case this week with connected healthcare cybersecurity provider Cynerio collaborating with Microsoft to integrate with their cloud-native SIEM and SOAR offering Microsoft Sentinel. Together the parties hope to offer a comprehensive solution to the security challenges offered by medical and IoT devices.

"Medical and IoT devices are a black hole in the network that traditional IT security and inventory systems simply do not cover,” said Cynerio CEO, Leon Lerman. “As a result, customers are often left to balance complex regulatory requirements with the risks of everything from outdated operating systems to externally connected devices unknown to IT teams. Additionally, medical device operators are not typically security experts, making it even more challenging to maintain a secure environment."

In the case of Mountain View Hospital, it took until June 13 until the hospital was able to issue a statement that they and their clinics were once again open and available to provide care. Security Systems News reported on a similar incident last year where CommonSpirit Health, the largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S., was hit by a disruptive cyber attack that resulted in chaos to patient records and registration and cases where ambulances were diverted to other healthcare facilities.

With Cynerio’s integration into Microsoft Sentinel, the company said that it will be able to address challenges posed in these attacks by providing IoT/IoMT/OT Device Discovery, Prioritized Risk Guidance, Behavioral Attack Detection and Response, and IT Device Support. Following the integration, the company said that Sentinel will also be used for incident management using Cynerio playbooks.

"We are pleased to work with Cynerio to provide our healthcare customers with an integrated solution to secure their medical and IoT devices, as well as gain full visibility across their medical and IT systems" said Eric Burkholder, senior program manager, Microsoft Sentinel at Microsoft. "Through this collaboration, customers can benefit from a comprehensive and automated security platform, enabling them to identify and mitigate risks quickly and effectively."

Cynerio is one of many in the security industry working to secure healthcare facilities and infrastructure including Milestone Systems, Athena Security, and AITX’s RAD.

More details about Cynerio are available at www.cynerio.com.