With Microsoft and Google, White House offers cybersecurity tools for rural hospitals

The AHA and National Rural Health Association are also onboard for the initiative, which will offer grants, free endpoint security advice and other resources for critical access and emergency hospitals.

As part of its recent efforts to bolster cybersecurity resilience across critical sectors nationwide, the White House this week announced a new initiative that enlists the private sector to help small and rural hospitals that are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks.

WHY IT MATTERS
The Biden Administration, working alongside the American Hospital Association and the National Rural Health Association, says it has gotten Google and Microsoft to each offer free and low-cost tools and services for independent critical access and rural emergency hospitals.

“Cyber-attacks against the U.S. healthcare systems rose 130% in 2023, forcing hospitals to cancel procedures and impacting Americans’ access to critical care,” said Deputy National Security Advisory for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Anne Neuberger in a statement. “Rural hospitals are particularly hard hit as they are often the sole source of care for the communities they serve and lack trained cyber staff and modern cyber defenses.”

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