Michigan Healthcare Cybersecurity Council and Invest UP team up for Building Resilience through Education and Engagement

UPPER MICHIGAN (WLUC) - Two Michigan firms are teaming up to teach health care workers about threats online.

The Michigan Healthcare Cybersecurity Council and Invest UP are hosting a virtual seminar Friday, Nov. 12 to inform medical professionals how to best prevent web-based attacks. MIHCC President Jack Kufahl believes most medical centers are unprepared to deal with a cyberattack that could threaten our critical infrastructure.

“The threats and the activities that we’re seeing are so aggressive against health care right now, so it is about how we work together and how we prepare,” Kufahl said.

Kufahl says the conference will help teach hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, home care firms, extended care firms, and other medical organizations to use resilience and communication in dealing with their cybersecurity. He believes that many medical employees are tired and overstressed, especially since the start of the pandemic, which may lead to a lack of judgment when trying to defend themselves, their company, or their patients from web-based malice.

“80 to 90% of all successful attacks start with email attacks, email phishing, and luring people in,” Kufahl said. “In my opinion, it really comes down to the human and helping make a more cyber-savvy human so that they are contributing not just to their patients’ cyber protection or the company’s cyber protection, but also their own.”

The conference aims to bring networks of medical teams together to build stronger cybersecurity communication between health care facilities.

“If you are accountable for security in Iron River, or you are accountable for security in Sault Ste. Marie, you shouldn’t be isolated or alone,” Kufahl said.

The virtual conference will feature many guest speakers. The Federal Chief Information Security Officer of the United States and the Acting Director of Medical Device Security at the United States Food and Drug Administration are just a few who are planning to speak.

The virtual discussion is free and open to the public. To register, visit the Michigan Healthcare Cybersecurity Council’s registration form.

Among the keynote speakers for the conference:

· Candy Alexander, CISSP, CISM/ISSA International, Board President/CISO, NeuEon, Inc.

· Dr. Guy Hembroff, Associate Professor, College of Computing; Director Health Informatics Graduate Program, Michigan Technological University.

· Dr. Brian Davidson, Founder and President, MindVue.

· Chuck Nelson, CEO, Dickinson County Healthcare System.

· Chris DeRusha, US Federal CISO.

· Dr. Kevin Fu, Acting Director of Medical Device Cybersecurity at FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health and Program Director for Cybersecurity, Digital Health Center of Excellence.

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