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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not implemented 82 high-risk cybersecurity and IT management recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). These include critical issues such as event logging, digitized record handling, and IoT device inventory. The lack of action increases risks to sensitive health data and national security, according to the GAO report released on September 12, 2025.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services **Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG)** published an audit of an unnamed **large Southeastern U.S. hospital** (more than 300 beds) identifying security weaknesses in **four internet-accessible web applications** that could be used as vectors for initial access and could hinder timely breach detection if not remediated. The review assessed whether the hospital’s controls could prevent and detect cyberattacks, maintain **continuity of patient care**, and protect **Medicare enrollee data**; the hospital is part of a broader provider network that shares protected health information for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. According to reporting on the audit, the hospital had adopted the **HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) v9.4** and maintained HIPAA-required administrative, physical, and technical safeguards, and OIG evaluated policies/procedures (including data protection, data loss prevention, network management, and incident response) and interviewed staff. OIG also performed **penetration testing and external vulnerability assessments**, finding that while controls detected most simulated attacks, **web-application weaknesses remained** that could be exploited; the coverage emphasized that similar issues may be present across other U.S. hospitals with comparable internet-facing application exposure.
Jun 29, 2026
**US healthcare organizations reported unusually low numbers of large HIPAA breaches in late 2025**, with 41 incidents affecting 500+ individuals logged for December 2025 in the HHS OCR breach portal. Reporting volumes for September–December averaged ~40.75 large breaches per month versus ~66.5 in the prior four months, and 2025 totals stood at 697 breaches (a reported ~6% decrease from 2024), though the count was expected to rise as additional incidents are added. A key factor cited for the apparent decline was a **43-day US government shutdown** that furloughed most HHS staff and likely created a backlog in posting breach reports to the OCR portal, potentially suppressing late-2025 totals until processing is completed. Separately, a **VA Office of Inspector General** review found a **privacy and security compliance failure** within the Veterans Health Administration’s national cancer testing program tied to a collaborative research effort. The OIG reported that in 2022 a VHA research director created and shared a file containing electronic health record reports and a “significant amount” of **protected health information (PHI)** with non-VHA investigators **without institutional review board approval or de-identification**, and that required **audit logs** for secure ePHI management were missing. The OIG noted delays in reporting and inadequate early mitigation, and issued six recommendations that the VA agreed to implement, including removing PHI from shared materials, clarifying research processes, and improving training.
Jun 29, 2026
A significant reduction in the number of large healthcare data breaches was reported for October 2025, with only 28 incidents affecting 500 or more individuals, the lowest monthly total since May 2020. However, the number of individuals impacted surged by 540% to over 11 million, largely due to a few major breaches still under investigation. The reporting delay was attributed to a government shutdown that created a backlog at the HHS Office for Civil Rights, potentially causing underreporting for the month. Notably, the Bosch Choice Welfare Benefit Plan disclosed a breach affecting 55,000 members, stemming from a business associate's cybersecurity incident that exposed sensitive personal and health information. The affected business associate also notified other covered entities and implemented additional safeguards in response. Security risks in the healthcare sector remain acute, particularly for small practices with limited IT resources. A technical investigation highlighted the dangers of improper hardware disposal and lack of disk encryption, revealing that sensitive data and password hashes can be easily extracted from discarded computers. Industry experts emphasize that business associates are a major source of breached records, accounting for a disproportionate share of affected individuals despite submitting fewer incident reports. This underscores the need for robust vendor oversight and comprehensive HIPAA compliance strategies, especially for small and mid-sized healthcare organizations.
Jun 29, 2026