Patients on ventilators, hospitals at their limits and doctors at the end of their strength – these images make us aware again and again of the immense importance of the healthcare sector for all of us in the face of the coronavirus COVID19 crisis. Smooth operations are more essential than ever – all disruptive factors must be avoided. For example, an infection of the internal IT network of hospitals through malicious emails could be fatal in the current situation.

Hornetsecurity would therefore like to help: From now on all email security services for the healthcare sector are free of charge until the end of the year.

Cyber-criminals exploit the pressure on hospitals

Unfortunately, there are more and more cyber-criminals taking advantage of the current Coronavirus COVID19 crisis situation. They are targeting medical facilities for their own personal profit. Especially at the moment, the risk of an unconsidered click on a possibly defective link or attachment is high, because the entire attention of the employees is focused on the fight against the coronavirus. For example, the Brno University Hospital in the Czech Republic was hit by a cyber attack on March 14. The hospital is one of the leading test centres in the Czech Republic and due to the attack had to take the entire IT system offline, cancel treatments and transfer patients to other clinics.

​Email is the main gateway for cyber threats

In most cases, malicious programs enter the IT system via email. Not only can damaged be caused there, but medical equipment can also be manipulated. Infiltrated ransomware encrypts sensitive data and releases it only against a ransom. Passwords are tapped via phishing mails, making mass theft of patient data possible. In addition, email communication can fail due to technical faults: Not only data leaks and blackmailing cause serious financial damage. Cyber attacks also block medical operations, and communications that are important for coordination could fail. A collapse of patient care would be a possible consequence. Comprehensive IT security services that detect malicious emails at an early stage are essential, especially now.

Secure and continuous email communication free of charge until the end of the year

Hornetsecurity’s Email Security and Productivity Services provide an effective defense against targeted attacks such as ransomware, spam and malware attacks and against the failure of email communication. For users of Microsoft Office 365, the 365 Total Protection Suite provides comprehensive security management for Microsoft Office cloud services.

To prevent cybercriminals from taking advantage of the current situation, Hornetsecury’s initiative is aimed at the entire healthcare sector and includes hospitals, nursing homes and companies or organizations that manufacture medical devices, vaccines or protective clothing, or support their production as suppliers. The services can be booked immediately and used free of charge until December 12, 2020.

Further information is available here: Email security for healthcare sector free of charge

About the Hornetsecurity Group

Hornetsecurity is the leading German cloud email security provider in Europe, which protects the IT infrastructure, digital communication and data of companies and organizations of all sizes. The security specialist from Hannover provides its services worldwide via 9 redundant, secured data centers. The product portfolio covers all important areas of email security, including spam and virus filters, legally compliant archiving and encryption, as well as defense against CEO fraud and ransomware. With around 200 employees, Hornetsecurity is represented globally at 11 locations and operates in more than 30 countries through its international distribution network. The premium services are used by approximately 40,000 customers including Swisscom, Telefónica, KONICA MINOLTA, LVM Versicherung, DEKRA and Claas.