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Your Health Care Information Is Insecure — And Extremely Lucrative On The Black Market

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This week, amalware attackstruck Ukrainian computer systems and quickly spread to tens of thousands of machines across dozens of countries,including the U.K. and the United States. The proliferating computer virus, called Petya, raises the question as is often the case when data hacks, breaches and disruptions occur of just how safe an end users personal information is when its on a network.

Not very.

Its unclear whether the Ukrainian attackers were motivated by money or mayhem.But money is certainly the motive when it comes to what likely impacts individuals far more than a malware virus: the theft of your personal health records.

TrendMicro, an information security company, has reported that the health care sectoris now the preferred target for cybercriminals. The industry, with hospitals leading the way, has been the top target of data breaches, followed by government and retail.In 2015, a total of 113.2 million health care-related records were stolen, the most ever, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer for TrendMicro and former chief information security officer for the U.S. Secret Service, told HuffPost that medical records are targeted by cybercriminals because they contain the most comprehensive data and provide multiple selling opportunities for the so-called dark web.

An electronic health record database contains personal information that does not expire such as Social Security numbers and can be used over and over for malicious intent, Cabrera said.

The cybercriminal underground can cherry-pick the various parts of protected health information records, which include medical histories, test results, health issues past and present, prescription drug use, treatments, methods of payment, home addresses, credit card numbers, health insurance information, Social Security number and birthdate. The data can get right down to the date of your last menstrual cycle.

Thieves can use stolen electronic health records to get prescription drugs, receive medical care and file fake insurance claims. They can exploit Social Security numbers to file fraudulent tax returns, open credit accounts, and obtain official government-issued documents, such as passports and drivers licenses. They can even create new identities.

The stolen information is usually resold, either as a whole record or piecemeal, on popular dark web marketplaces, including TheRealDeal, AlphaBay, Valhalla, Apple Market, Python Market, Dream Market and Silk Road, according to the TrendMicro report.

Interested cyberbuyers may only want health insurance numbers, which sell for 99-cents each on the underground, says the TrendMicro report. Those who trade in drugs may be interested in your prescription for opioids. Having your email in combination with other proof of identity can enable a thief to have the delivery address changed for mail-order pharmaceuticals or packages ordered online. Those who engage in cyberespionage for a nation-state may pay mightily for sensitive health information about a political or corporate leader. Like any other free market, rates are based on supply and demand, Cabrera said.

Medical records also have a long shelf life.If a thief steals your credit card or bank account number, its useful only until the credit limit is maxed out or you report the loss and the account is closed. But some information in a medical record can provide steady long-term income for scammers, Cabrera said.

Credit card companies and banks have vastly improved their ability to protect your data, Cabrera said. Health information systems? Not so much, which makes them a better target, he said, adding that some improvements have been made.

The Ponemon Institute,a security research and consulting organization, said in its May 2016 annual study on health care data privacy and security that about half of all health care organizations had little or no confidence that they could detect the loss or theft of patient data, and that the majority lack the budget to secure their data. The study found that most health care organizations havent invested in security technologies or staff.

While cyberattacks on the health care industry may pose immediate health risks to patients, with consequences like hospitals closing and procedures needing to be rescheduled, the big concern must include data breaches, Cabrera said.

And realistically, theres little you can do about it. Patients are at the mercy of the organizations they interact with, Cabrera said. If your doctor or hospital wants your drivers license or Social Security number as a condition of treatment, youre probably going to turn them over.

Cabrera suggested people use their real-life experience in their virtual life online. If you were traveling in a dangerous location, you would take precautions. Apply that same caution to your interactions with the health care industry. And be careful out there.

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China refuses cancer treatment abroad for Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo

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Beijing (CNN)Nobel prize winning Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been refused permission to travel overseas to receive cancer treatment.

A Chinese vice minister of justice met with diplomats from the US, Germany and EU on Thursday to brief them about Liu's case, and told the diplomats that Liu can't travel abroad for treatment because he is too sick to travel, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

Liu had been serving an 11-year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" in Jinzhou, near the city of Shenyang in northeastern China.

His case has come under an international spotlight amid allegations from his supporters that he had become gravely ill because his cancer wasn't treated in prison.

In a statement released Wednesday, Shenyang authorities appeared to attempt to dispel this speculation, saying his cancer was diagnosed less than a month ago, on June 7, after a routine check-up found unusual symptoms on May 31.

A medical team comprised of eight renowned oncologists have seen Liu seven times and formed a treatment plan, it said, adding that the hospital has invited traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners to join the team at the request of Liu's family.

US ambassador's appeal

Terry Branstad, the new US ambassador to China, on Wednesday urged Beijing to let Liu seek cancer treatment elsewhere.

In his first public remarks since arriving in China, the former Iowa governor told reporters that he hoped the two sides could work together to address Liu's condition.

"It's very serious," he said. "Obviously, our hearts go out to him and his wife and we're interested in doing what can be done to see if it's possible. We Americans would like to see him have the opportunity for treatment elsewhere, if that could be of help."

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the ambassador's appeal.

"Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese citizen," said Lu Kang at a regular press briefing. "Why should we discuss his case with other countries?"

Liu's plight has become a rallying point for activists in Hong Kong, which is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of festivities to mark 20 years of Chinese rule in the former British colony.

Video

A video posted Wednesday by an overseas Chinese news website Boxun known for its access to Chinese government sources, appeared to show Liu working, exercising and meeting visiting family members in prison.

It also shows him receiving medical check-ups and treatment in prison and at hospitals.

Liu could be heard describing how prison officials had been taking good care of him, especially his health, and expressing his gratitude to them.

The statement from Shenyang's judicial authorities said that Liu's wife, Liu Xia was staying with him at the hospital.

"Liu and his family members are satisfied with the work and treatment by the prison and the hospital," the statement said.

The statement also said Liu had a history of hepatitis B before imprisonment and prison authorities had provided him with an annual physical examination as well as monthly checkup - and no abnormal conditions had been found before the recent diagnosis.

A prolific writer and longtime activist, Liu had been in and out of jail since the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989.

His most recent conviction on Christmas Day 2009 stemmed from his co-authorship of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for political reform and human rights in China.

In 2010, while in prison, Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."

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Why Obamacare is here to stay, even as GOP strives for repeal

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Washington (CNN)Senate Republicans continue to work to repeal and repeal Obamacare, but even if they succeed, it has become clear this week that the law has fundamentally shifted expectations surrounding health care in the country.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was forced to delay a vote on the Senate's health care bill in large part because of widespread concerns among Republicans that the bill was not going to do enough to ensure low-income people had access to health insurance. An independent analysis published Monday from the Congressional Budget Office showed 22 million more Americans would be uninsured under the Republicans' plan and while premiums would go down, out of pocket costs could rise.

"You can't just erase Obamacare and go back," said Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue.

Senators worried their subsidies weren't generous enough, that Medicaid would be cut too dramatically. Republicans even worried about tax cuts -- expressing a common Democratic talking point that taxes for the wealthy were being cut while the poor were being left behind.

Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee who is close to leadership, announced he didn't feel comfortable repealing a 3.8% investment tax on the wealthy at the expense of those who were struggling.

"That's not an equation that's appropriate," Corker said. "If you're making $12,000 a year, and you get help in buying a plan that has a $6,000 deductible, you don't have much health insurance. To me that's a situation that has got to be rectified."

One conservative senator summed up the problem Republicans are having now as they try and untangle Obama's Affordable Care Act.

"We have a new entitlement," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin. "That's not going away."

'It's like Obamacare'

If you listen to Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week they sound a bit more nuanced than they did on the campaign trail just a few months ago.

Republicans might have found electoral success vowing to repeal the law "root and branch," but there are provisions in Obamacare that are overwhelmingly popular.

President Donald Trump campaigned on the provision that allows parents to keep their kids on their health insurance until the kids are 26 and the protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Even beyond those, however, members fought this week to stop cuts to Medicaid and to increase subsidies to buy insurance.

Perdue outlined the difficulties of repealing Obamacare. "Now, you've got to try to fix it within two constraints. You got the reconciliation constraints and you got the constraint of what's already been committed out there for six years."

It's a shift from a party that has campaigned on entitlement cuts for years and for a party that wholesale believes that the country cannot continue to grow federal government without offsetting the costs elsewhere.

The irony is not lost on some.

"The more you do this, the more it's like Obamacare," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina. "So eventually you cross a line where saying that you've repealed and replaced Obamacare will be hard to say with a straight face if you keep doing this stuff."

Psaki: Dems should negotiate healthcare with GOP

Conservatives back some federal coverage

A handful of conservatives in the Senate continue to push to repeal more of the Affordable Care Act than the current Senate bill does. Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has said he's opposed to keeping the subsidies in any form and he's called them "Obamacare lite."

Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas are pushing for more relaxation of Obamacare regulations.

Even Cruz, however, has admitted that it's now generally accepted GOP orthodoxy on the Hill that the federal government is going to subsidize coverage for the sick in some ways.

"Those with serious illnesses are going to be subsidized, and there is widespread agreement in Congress that they are going to be subsidized than I think far better for that to happen from direct tax revenue rather than forcing a bunch of other people to pay much higher premiums," Cruz said as he defended his plan to allow insurers that offer compliant plans to also offer skinnier ones on the Obamacare exchange.

Republicans may still repeal Obamacare. They continue to have conversations and try to find a way forward, but one thing became clear this week: The fundamental heart of Obamacare -- the idea that the government has a responsibility to regulate the insurance market in some way and ensure vulnerable populations have access health care -- isn't going to be repealed any time soon.

McConnell threatens bipartisanship

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Trump Administration Reverses Policy On Fiancs As Travel Ban Takes Effect

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US, China relations begin to cool as Trump’s honeymoon with Xi ends

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(CNN)In a flurry of announcements likely to antagonize Beijing, US President Donald Trump's administration has seemingly thrown its China policy into reverse, cooling relations between the two super powers.

In less than one week, the US has finalized a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, labeled China one of the world's worst human traffickers and imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank for doing business with North Korea.

Trump and Xi had previously enjoyed an unusually cordial relationship since their first February meeting in Florida, with the US president describing Xi as a "terrific person" with whom he had a "very good relationship."

In exchange for Xi's agreement to help restrain North Korea, the Trump administration loosened or withdrew US pressure in other areas, including the South China Sea and Trump's previous campaign pledge to label China a currency manipulator.

But on June 21, Trump sent a tweet saying Chinese efforts to restrain North Korea had "not worked out," while adding he greatly appreciated that they had "tried."

"It's a very firm indication that the honeymoon after the Mar-a-Lago summit is over and that tweet in particular ... that was a clear signal that there was going to be a change and cooling in temperature of China and US ties," Euan Graham, International Security Program director at Sydney's Lowy Institute, told CNN.

Sanctions placed on Chinese bank

On Thursday, the Trump administration announced plans to go ahead with a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, a move which has angered Beijing, which still considers the island a rogue province and part of mainland China.

Can China help the US deal with North Korea?

The arms sale came the same day as new sanctions were announced on China's Bank of Dandong, which the US accuses of supporting illegal North Korean financial activity. On Tuesday, a new US government report labeled China as one of the world's worst offenders in human trafficking.

"From the beginning, President Trump has tied all these US-China issues together expecting cooperation from China on North Korea for cooperation from the US on these other issues," said Anthony Ruggiero, a North Korea expert and senior fellow at the Defense for Democracy.

Ruggiero said the decision to sanction Dandong was "long overdue," adding pressure could be put on China through their need for US currency.

"China is now in a position where it must defend a bank the US said is a money laundering concern. The Chinese leadership will wonder if the Trump administration will sanction a medium-sized Chinese bank next," he said.''

US officials call for North Korea containment

The decision to step up pressure on China comes as several prominent Trump administration officials have warned further action was needed against North Korea's nuclear missile program.

Analyst 'pessimistic' after North Korean meeting

On Wednesday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley labeled estimates that North Korea was "three to five years from developing a long-range nuclear weapon capable of reaching the US" as "optimistic."

The same day, US National Security Adviser HR McMaster publicly confirmed military options had been prepared to deal with North Korea.

"What we have to do is prepare all options because the President has made clear to us that he will not accept a nuclear power in North Korea, and a threat that can target the United States and target the American population," McMaster told a Washington think tank.

North Korea was a prominent topic of discussion when Trump welcomed South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House Thursday night, although the Korean leader favors a diplomatic approach rather than military engagement.

"It is significant that (the sanctions) occurred on the afternoon of Moon's visit," Ruggiero told CNN. "This becomes a line in the sand that leaves the idea for engagement with North Korea open to discussion, but when it comes to pressure, shows the US will do as much as it can."

Taiwan arms deal long expected

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said in a statement Friday morning they were "sincerely grateful" for the US decision to go ahead with the arms deal.

Trump's intentions questioned in Taiwan call

"The arms sale was proposed by our country last year. The package includes eight types of equipment and system, which will boost our combat capabilities in air and sea," the statement said.

China's ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai furiously denounced the sale in Chinese state media People's Daily, saying it violated the agreed upon "one China" policy.

"China has made strong protests to the US and will reserve the right to take further measures," state media quoted him as saying.

Zhang Baohui, professor of political science at Lingnan University, said until this week many high-profile Taiwanese had believed the US was moving away from them.

"(This arms deal) didn't go through for a while and some people suspected it was due to Trump's so-called reliance on China to resolve the North Korea issue ... so I think this arms sale could boost confidence (in US)," he said.

Zhang said this arms package, originally begun under former President Obama, was smaller than the last US arms deal with Taiwan, while Graham told CNN the actual contents of the newly approved Taiwanese arms deal were not especially provocative.

"They're not talking about major front line aircraft or major breakthroughs in technology, I think it's consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and the provision of defense capabilities under that," Graham said.

"I don't see that alone as a provocation towards China, rather I think if we connect up these other areas, including sanctions on Chinese entities, that's the thing to watch."

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Delegitimizing his presidency, one tweet at a time

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Washington (CNN)It marked a rare presidential moment on a most un-presidential day -- Donald Trump stood at a podium flanked by flags as "Stars and Stripes Forever" rang out, after delivering a speech on energy.

But all around Washington, a storm of criticism still raged around his decision to level vicious tweets at MSNBC television anchor Mika Brzezinski.

The controversy was yet another reminder, a few days ahead of America's birthday, that Trump is a leader like no other in the nation's 241-year history, who plans to stay true to himself and is willing to flout norms of decorum.

The longer such antics go on, more and more people will question whether the leader of the free world is not just damaging his own presidency, but demeaning the office itself and potentially diminishing it for whoever comes after him.

Navarro to Trump: Stop acting like a mean girl

"It's unworthy of the office of President of the United States," Maine Sen. Susan Collins told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And I am concerned about how we look in the eyes of the world as well as our own citizens."

Thursday's tweets focused attention on Trump's coarse brand of political discourse, and his ironclad principle that anyone who criticizes him, as Brzezinski did on her show on Thursday, can expect a gut punch in return.

His tweet outraged political leaders in Washington and renewed debate about the President's history of disparaging remarks about women. It left allies fuming about yet another day when his political agenda was drowned out by Trump-induced tumult.

But on a deeper level, the shocking tweet, which claimed that the "Morning Joe" host had been "bleeding badly from a facelift," raised questions about whether his behavior was appropriate from a head of state, about his respect for his office itself, and whether this presidency could irrevocably erode the standards of dignity that have grown around it since George Washington swore the first oath of office in New York City in 1789.

The New York Daily News revealed its Friday cover -- a bald eagle, head hanging down as if in shame, with "humiliation" in capital letters.

For a sense of proportion, it might also be said that his tweets, while often misrepresenting facts and dealing in personal attacks, pale in comparison to the actions of some of his predecessors. Also casting the presidency in a poor light were President Bill Clinton's Oval Office encounters with an intern and President Richard Nixon's cover-up that led to his resignation over the Watergate scandal.

And respect for the presidency, like many other institutions, was declining long before Trump tried his hand at politics. In 1991, 93% of Americans polled by Gallup had some level of respect for the presidency. By June 2016, that number was down at 63%.

Yet Trump's demeanor obviously falls short of the elevated standards established by the likes of Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan, and appears to risk fraying that faith in his office still further.

Unlike some of those leaders, it is not clear that Trump regards the presidency as a public trust to be preserved and passed onto successive generations. He often seems more concerned with his own image than the reputation of the presidency itself, as his fixation with the size of his election victory and inauguration crowds has revealed.

Trump tweets about this more than anything

He's exactly the same

Trump does not exist in a vacuum. He is an expression of a polarized political age that lacks civility, shaped by reality television and instant emotional kick of social media that has shattered political and societal norms.In many ways, Trump seems to be exactly the same personality who lived out his life in the New York tabloids and swapped smutty stories with radio host Howard Stern.

So far at least, he doesn't seem to be changed by the responsibilities heaped on his shoulders.

But while his unchained style helped him win the presidency, it may be undermining his chances of significant achievements now that he is in office.

That's because the presidency is more than a job. The pageantry, from the Oval Office, to the "beast" limousine, to Air Force One as it jets into a foreign land, conjures up a mystique and a statement of power -- that Trump appears not yet to have harnessed to its full potential.

His White House's war with the media, the chaos that pervades the administration, and the fact the President dispels his own elevated aura by inviting the world into his mind every day on his Twitter feed also seem at risk of diminishing the unique power and prestige of his office.

Many Presidents were flawed men who made questionable moral choices. But most at least tried to keep their anger and most unguarded inner thoughts private, a safety valve that Trump seems to lack.

Trump's tweet was far from his only outrageous comment as a candidate or a President. But it appeared to set off a pent-up explosion of anger towards Trump over weeks of patience-fraying political tribulations.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted: "Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America."

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski tweeted: "Stop it! The Presidential platform should be used for more than bringing people down."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who normally swerves away from Trump tweets, said this one was not "appropriate" and didn't help efforts to change the political tone. Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey told CNN's Jake Tapper it was "maddening."

Trump focuses on looks of his female critics

Thin-skinned

In some ways, the outpouring of criticism toward Trump was surprising precisely because his attack on Brzezinski was not all that surprising.

After all, he has a long record of incendiary comments toward his perceived opponents in the media, and directed at women particularly.

During his campaign, he insulted John McCain's war record, made vulgar comments about then Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and berated the grieving Muslim parents of a fallen war hero. As President, he claimed he was being wiretapped by the previous administration without evidence and seemed to suggest he may have tapes of conversations with FBI chief James Comey.

This time it seemed different, perhaps because the bullying tweet aimed at Brzezinski was another tweet targeted from the White House -- the people's house -- by a man who is the President of all Americans.

That may explain why few came to Trump's defense, save for his loyal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in an abrasive encounter with the White House press corps.

"The President has been attacked mercilessly on personal accounts by members on that program, and I think he's been very clear that when he gets attacked, he's going to hit back," Huckabee Sanders said.

"They do this day after day after day, and then the President responds and defends himself and everybody is appalled and blown away," she added.

But Trump's skin does seem particularly thin. Presidents have long been mercilessly attacked but have often chosen to respond in a manner in keeping with the dignity of an office that Washington called an "arduous trust" in his farewell address.

The last two Presidents, for example, have often fumed privately. After the Iraq War degenerated into a bloody insurgency, George W. Bush was relentlessly attacked over his intellect and leadership skills. But he rarely snapped in public.

President Barack Obama, the first African-American commander in chief, endured a character assassination over claims he was not even born in the United States -- conducted by Trump himself -- and only rarely displayed his public disgust for his accuser.

Trump's supporters, by this time, are well used to his eruptions on Twitter and elsewhere, and may shrug their shoulders at his assault on a mainstream media figure.

In fact, Huckabee said, Trump's bombast was the reason he is in the White House.

"The American people elected somebody who's tough, who's smart, and who's a fighter, and that's Donald Trump. And I don't think that it's a surprise to anybody that he fights fire with fire," she said.

History suggests it will take more than explosive tweets to tarnish the Oval Office.

"I am not sure that any damage to the office will be permanent because I cannot see another President like Trump being replicated," said Lori Cox Han, an author and professor who teaches courses on the presidency at Chapman University, California.

"I think of the office of the presidency as being incredibly resilient -- it survived Bill Clinton's impeachment, Richard Nixon's resignation ... survived the Civil War," Han said. "It and our Constitution will survive Trump -- no matter what side of the aisle you happen to be on."

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