The Role of Z-CERT for Cyber Security of Healthcare

During the Corona crisis, the expertise center in the field of cyber security in healthcare: Z-CERT is particularly busy with digitally securing hospitals. The team is assisted by the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Fox-IT and EclecticIQ.

For example, Z-CERT warns against a false "NL-Alerts" about COVID-19 that are used to mislead recipients. The fake alarm goes around by text message and presents itself as an "NL-Alert" that was sent from RIVM. The message states: "[NL-Alert]: In connection with the corona (COVID-19) virus, RIVM now offers a limited number of care packages. We recommend that you purchase it as soon as possible at corona-rivm.com/coronavirus/zorg.....?." 

Z-CERT warns people to not respond to this false message. If you click on the link, it will bring you to a website similar to that of RIVM. At this website people are asked to buy a care package for 5 euros. Z-CERT recommends to remove the SMS immediately.

Threat Intelligence

Security company Fox-IT is also helping Z-CERT during the corona crisis. Since 2 April, Fox-IT has made current threat information available to hospitals free of charge. This information, known as Indicators of Compromise, concerns the main criminal groups and the methods they use.

Fox-IT: "If a cyber attack would hit hospitals in the Netherlands, the consequences could be very large."

On 10 July, EclecticIQ and Z-CERT announced that they will start a collaboration to stimulate health organisations to exchange threat intelligence. At the core of this cooperation is EclecticIQ’s Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP), which acts as the workbench for the organisations’ analyst team. In addition to the TIP, EclecticIQ is providing free analyst support to help Z-CERT’s analysts build out their CTI capabilities and familiarize the team with the EclecticIQ Platform, its features and typical automation processes, as well as implementing general analyst workflows.

Karen Sundermann, VP of Government at EclecticIQ: “This initiative began as a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis and our organisation wanting to offer its help to the healthcare sector. We believe that with the proposal we presented to Z-CERT, we can assist the organisation with bringing critical threat information to hospitals in the Netherlands faster – thereby helping to protect the healthcare sector in general and patients in particular.”

Interview

Read the 'Zorgvisie' interview with Wim Hafkamp, director of Z-CERT about the cyber security situation of the Dutch healthcare. 

Hafkamp: "There is no acute threat, but we collect as much intelligence as possible to make our participants situational aware. They must have an overview of the threats worldwide. The initiative Wijhelpenziekenhuizen.nl, a coalition of cybersecurity companies is a great support"

Source: Channelconnect and Zorgvisie