The DFW Hospital Council (DFWHC) in association with Hall Render will host the complimentary educational event “HACKED: The case of a hospital’s data held HOSTAGE” on Thursday, March 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Meadows Conference Center in Dallas.

Mark Swearingen, an attorney at Hall Render who personally oversaw the case of a recent U.S. hospital where hackers demanded payment in bitcoin of approximately $55,000 or they would permanently delete more than 1,000 encrypted files, will serve as keynote speaker.

“This is a great opportunity to learn how these attacks can occur,” said W. Stephen Love, president/CEO of DFWHC. “It’s important we learn about the potential liabilities they create and how North Texas hospitals can mitigate such a risk.”

The seminar will detail how overseas hackers used vendor credentials to deploy ransomware and lock down a hospital’s IT system. The attack hit just before a holiday weekend as the hospital was trying to manage a busy Emergency Room filled with flu patients amidst adverse weather conditions. Swearingen, Hall Render’s expert who specializes in health information privacy and security, was soon called to assist.

You can register for the event here.

For more information, please contact Jourdan Pruit at jpruit@dfwhcfoundation.org or 972-719-4900.