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We help Hospitals - Together against Corona

3 min read
March 1, 2021
By: Job Kuijpers
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By: Job Kuijpers
11 July 2024

Introduction

NATO, Red Cross, UN and Interpol warned in March 2020 about malware attacks on hospitals and healthcare facilities engaged in the fight against COVID-19. While corona patients fought for their lives in the ICUs, Z-CERT and the cyber collective 'We help hospitals' worked behind the scenes to prevent attacks by cyber criminals. And with a positive effect: the number of incidents with significant impact has remained limited.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Dutch healthcare has been working intensively to help everyone in society. At the same time, criminals abuse the situation to attack healthcare institutions and healthcare providers digitally, for example by distributing ransomware or sending spam. Cyber ​​experts in the Netherlands find this unimaginable and are taking action by uniting in the coalition We Help Hospitals to protect Dutch healthcare institutions free of charge and selflessly against digital attacks in times of the corona crisis.

Together we have set up the website www.wijhelpenziekenhuizen.nl to provide free help to all healthcare institutions in the Netherlands that urgently want to use cyber experts throughout the country to continue to provide safe care during this time of crisis.

Update February 20, 2021

Now that hospitals and healthcare institutions have been struggling with the corona crisis for a long time, we notice that the demand for free, urgent help from this initiative is declining sharply. This is why the collective goes into hibernation. If there is another urgent need from the healthcare sector and supporting organizations, the collaboration between Z-CERT and the collective will be revived.

What does Eye do

Eye is a cybersecurity company founded by some former employees of the Dutch intelligence and security services who have contributed to the cyber program of the Dutch government for many years. Today they use their knowledge and expertise to provide SMEs in the Netherlands with practical cybersecurity solutions that really work.

 

Contact with the initiators

Call us on 088-6444800 or contact us by email at info@wijhelpenziekenhuizen.nl .

In collaboration with the Z-CERT Foundation , we collect help requests that come in by telephone or email at a central location. In order to estimate how we can best help, we do a short intake through a number of questions. Be prepared that the intake also contains some technical questions.

Based on the intake, we match your organization to one of the participating cybersecurity companies, for example based on the type of help request, availability or geographical location.

We connect you and the participating cybersecurity company. From then on you have direct contact with the service provider to solve your request for help. We Helpen Hospitals maintains contact with you and the service provider about the administration of the request for help, for example about the progress and services provided.

About the initiative

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Dutch healthcare has been working intensively to help everyone in society. At the same time, criminals abuse the situation to attack healthcare institutions and healthcare providers digitally, for example by distributing ransomware or sending spam. Cyber ​​experts in the Netherlands find this unimaginable and are taking action by uniting in the coalition We Help Hospitals to protect Dutch healthcare institutions free of charge and selflessly against digital attacks in times of the corona crisis.

Together we have set up the website www.wijhelpenziekenhuizen.nl to provide free help to all healthcare institutions in the Netherlands that urgently want to use cyber experts throughout the country to continue to provide safe care during this time of crisis.

Who is the initiative for?

Our coalition of security experts is ready to assist all vital healthcare institutions in the Netherlands that are victims of ransomware and other digital attacks, or whose employees are currently unable to work safely from home. You can also contact us free of charge if you suspect that your organization has been hacked or if you have other urgent IT security questions. The collective of cybersecurity companies is ready to offer help free of charge and selflessly.

  • Hospitals & UMCs
  • Doctors and medical practices
  • Research labs
  • Nursing and care homes
  • IT service providers in healthcare
  • Med tech suppliers

When can you call us?

If you are a victim of ransomware (ransomware), phishing emails or other digital attacks, but also if your employees are currently unable to work safely from home, you can contact us. You can also contact us if you suspect that your organization has been hacked or for other urgent IT security questions. You decide whether you want to contact us by telephone or e-mail.

  • Your organization has been affected by ransomware
  • Unauthorized persons may have access to your network or accounts
  • Sensitive personal or medical data may have been leaked
  • As a (C)ISO you have urgent cybersecurity questions that cannot wait

Information from the central government

74 companies contributed

We would like to thank all 74 companies who all donated 100 free hours of cyber experts to the initiative. These hours have been used selflessly to help dozens of healthcare organizations and supporting companies with cybersecurity issues.

THANK YOU!

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