Marianne Kolbasuk McGee

Executive Editor, HealthcareInfoSecurity, ISMG

McGee is executive editor of Information Security Media Group's HealthcareInfoSecurity.com media site. She has about 30 years of IT journalism experience, with a focus on healthcare information technology issues for more than 15 years. Before joining ISMG in 2012, she was a reporter at InformationWeek magazine and news site and played a lead role in the launch of InformationWeek's healthcare IT media site.

Vulnerabilities Identified in Baxter Infusion Pump Devices

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • September 9, 2022

Vulnerabilities in certain medication infusion pump products from manufacturer Baxter could compromise a hospital's biomedical network. The flaws highlight the risks involving the acquisition and disposal of medical technology, says researcher Deral Heiland of Rapid7.

Boston Children's Hospital Hacker Gets Long Prison Sentence

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 11, 2019

A hacktivist who launched distributed denial-of-service attacks on Boston Children's Hospital and another local facility in 2014 has received a lengthy prison sentence and must pay restitution. But will the outcome of the case deter other hackers?

Boston Children's Hospital DDoS Attacker Convicted

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • August 3, 2018

A federal jury has convicted a hacktivist who launched DDoS attacks in 2014 on Boston Children's Hospital and another local facility to protest a controversial child custody case.

A CISO Sizes Up Healthcare Security Threats for 2018

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • November 15, 2017

In the year ahead, cyber threats to the healthcare sector will continue to evolve from attacks primarily involving the theft of health data to assaults aimed at disrupting organizations' operations, predicts Sean Murphy, CISO of health insurer Premera Blue Cross.

Cybersecurity and Patient Privacy in Healthcare: The Balancing Act

Presented by Jennings Aske , Steve Chabinsky , Joshua Corman , Mark Eggleston , Marianne Kolbasuk McGee , Dave Summitt • October 4, 2017

How do you balance privacy with data exchange among clinicians, access for patients and medical breakthroughs for researchers? This session examines whether there's a "right balance" for protecting patients' confidentiality, bolstering cybersecurity and providing individuals with access to their own health data, while...

The Evolving Regulatory Environment and Its Impact on Privacy and Security of Online Medical Records

Presented by Vikrant Arora , Marianne Kolbasuk McGee , Mitch Parker , Iliana Peters • October 3, 2017

Data protection legislation and regulatory enforcement actions are rapidly changing throughout the world, having an immediate impact on how organizations globally approach cybersecurity, privacy, breach notification and data storage and protection. Too frequently, however, U.S. healthcare organizations have built...

GAO Assesses IoT Vulnerabilities

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • May 17, 2017

Internet of things devices are vulnerable to an array of potential cyberattacks, including zero-day exploits, distributed denial-of-service attacks and passive wiretapping, according to a new GAO report, which cites mitigation advice from experts.

HHS Offers Tips on Mitigating DDoS Risks

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • December 8, 2016

Federal regulators have issued an alert urging healthcare sector organizations to take specific steps to prevent falling victim to distributed denial-of-service attacks. Security experts offer an assessment, plus additional tips.

House Passes Revamped 21st Century Cures Bill

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • November 30, 2016

The House has easily approved a heavily reworked version of the 21st Century Cures bill that was stripped of controversial proposed changes to HIPAA. The measure, which would provide $6.3 billion for various efforts to advance medical innovation and is backed by the White House, will proceed to the Senate next week.

Congress Explores How to Bolster IoT Cybersecurity

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • November 16, 2016

What's needed to bolster the security of internet of things devices to help prevent cyberattacks, such as the recent botnet-driven DDoS attack against web services provider Dyn? Security experts offered their views at a Nov. 16 congressional hearing.

Hacktivist Pleads 'Not Guilty' in Children's Hospital DDoS Attack

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • October 25, 2016

The hacktivist who allegedly launched distributed denial-of-service attacks in 2014 on Children's Hospital of Boston and another local healthcare facility in protest of a controversial child custody case has been arraigned on federal charges. Indictment documents provide details on the impact of the attacks.

MIT Offers Online Cybersecurity Training

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • September 9, 2015

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is launching a new online cybersecurity course that aims to fill a gap for IT professionals as well as business leaders, says MIT's Clara Piloto.

2015 Healthcare Information Security Today Survey Results: Analysis

Presented by Tom Field , Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • April 22, 2015

In this session, we'll highlight the major findings from Information Security Media Group's new national survey of healthcare information security leaders. For example, an overwhelming majority of respondents were confident their organization would "pass" a Department of Health and Human Services HIPAA compliance...

VASCO CEO on Authentication Trends

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 26, 2015

The increase in sophisticated hacking attacks will lead other sectors to follow the lead of the financial services industry in implementing multifactor authentication, says Ken Hunt, CEO of VASCO Data Security International.

Fidelis CEO on Breach Response

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee • January 8, 2015

Ninety percent of even the largest global firms are susceptible to targeted attacks. And if adversaries want to get in, they can, says Peter George, CEO of Fidelis Security Systems, who discusses new security strategies.