Monday Morning Impact – October 7

Published On: October 6, 2024Categories: Buzz

SonicWall: 14 Million Victims of Malware Breaches in U.S. Healthcare Sector

According to the most recent SonicWall Threat Brief, a minimum of 14 million patients in the U.S. have fallen victim to malware breaches in the healthcare sector.

The increasing digitalization of health records and telehealth services further expands the attack surface. The company says 91% of healthcare breaches involve ransomware in 2024 – underscoring the urgent need for improved cybersecurity and strong partnerships with MSPs/MSSPs. The Milpitas, California-based cybersecurity company also determined that 60% of vulnerabilities were leveraged against Microsoft Exchange.

“Understanding the threat landscape is crucial for the healthcare industry to effectively defend against cyberattacks,” said Doug McKee, SonicWall’s executive director of Threat Research. “As ransomware evolves and targets sensitive patient data, organizations must stay informed about emerging threats and vulnerabilities.”

Since disruption of access to patient data or medical systems can have life-threatening consequences, healthcare organizations are more likely to pay ransoms to restore operations quickly. In 2024, ransomware was leveraged in 91% of malware-related data breaches in the healthcare sector, with Lockbit emerging as one of the most notorious ransomware groups targeting this industry.

Channel Impact^®
The findings underscore that healthcare organizations, due to their essential operations and potential for financial gain, remain prime targets for ransomware. Many healthcare organizations operate with limited cybersecurity resources and often rely on outdated technology – making them susceptible to ransomware attacks. Managed Service Providers and Managed Security Service Providers should play a vital role in the healthcare industry by delivering specialized expertise and resources that many organizations lack.

Zoom and Mitel Announce Partnership to Deliver AI-Augmented Communications

Zoom Video Communications and Mitel have announced a strategic partnership to deliver a hybrid cloud solution that combines Zoom Workplace and Zoom AI Companion with Mitel’s flagship communication platforms. The partnership is expected to introduce a Zoom-first experience within Mitel’s hybrid portfolio, including access to the full Zoom Workplace platform.

Leveraging Mitel’s Common Communication Framework, the Zoom-Mitel offering promises to deliver a fully embedded, feature-rich experience without add-ons or plug-ins, including UC and mobile app integration, hardware device-level integration, and advanced business process capabilities like bi-directional presence, call-to-video escalation, and centralized user provisioning and administration. Additionally, users can gain access to Zoom Phone with embedded support for Mitel PBX platforms, whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Users may also access Zoom AI Companion, Meetings, and Team Chat.

“As organizations continue to prioritize hybrid UC deployments, it is critical that users across the globe have access to AI-first, reliable, and seamless collaboration solutions,” said Eric S. Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom. “Together, Zoom and Mitel are now able to address the largest segment of today’s communications market, particularly in EMEA, strengthening growth potential and enabling more users worldwide to reimagine the ways in which they work.”

“Effective communication and collaboration are the lifeblood of modern organizations, but they become transformative when tailored to meet each customer’s unique business objectives,” said Tarun Loomba, president and CEO of Mitel. “Flexibility and choice are at the heart of every Mitel solution and partnering with Zoom strengthens our ability to deliver on that promise for customers around the world.”

The joint solution is scheduled for general availability in the first half of 2025. Advanced capabilities are underway as part of the multi-phase partnership plan, and continued enhancements are being planned.

Channel Impact^®
The alliance enables Mitel’s sales teams and more than 7,000 partners globally to cross-sell the Zoom-first experience as a core part of the unique hybrid solution or help customers migrate to Zoom if UCaaS is their preferred deployment model. It also enables Zoom sales teams to sell Mitel’s devices for Mitel hybrid customers requiring physical endpoints.

Report: IT Professionals Brace for More AI-Enhanced Cyberattacks

U.S. businesses are preparing for continued AI-enhanced cyberattacks, which are now ranked as the top threat by IT professionals for the year ahead according to GetApp, a Stamford, Connecticut-based cybersecurity company.

The company’s 6th Annual Data Security Report reveals that 37% of U.S. IT professionals view AI-enhanced attacks as their primary concern for 2025, with AI-enhanced malware cited as the top AI-generated threat by 60% of global IT professionals. While phishing and ransomware attacks remain prevalent and pervasive, the increasing sophistication of AI-augmented threats signals the need for businesses to prioritize new defensive strategies.

Ransomware remains a significant challenge, but recovery rates are improving, according to the report. In 2024, ransomware attacks affected 44% of U.S. companies, with 43% of those paying a ransom. However, 36% of businesses were able to recover their data without payment, indicating improvements in incident response and decryption capabilities.

Phishing continues to plague businesses with 87% of U.S. organizations reporting phishing attempts in the past 12 months. The report says that 74% of employees who received a phishing email clicked on malicious links, highlighting the ongoing need for security awareness training.

As more businesses adopt cloud solutions, 56% of data breaches in the U.S. were attributed to software vulnerabilities, emphasizing the importance of securing cloud-based infrastructure.

The U.S. fared better than its global counterparts in terms of data breaches, with 54% of businesses reporting them in 2024 compared to the global average of 62%. Despite this, over half of U.S. organizations still experienced a breach, underscoring the need for continued vigilance.

Over half (51%) of U.S. companies have implemented MFA for all applications, higher than the global average of 44%. This increased use of MFA is helping businesses fend off some of the most damaging cyberattacks.

The report is based on a survey of 4,000 cybersecurity and IT professionals from 11 countries, including 500 U.S. IT professionals, uncovers five additional key trends and how to address them.

Channel Impact^®
While efforts to mitigate risks like ransomware and phishing are improving, AI-driven threats require a faster, more adaptive approach, leading to opportunities for the channel.

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