LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Inside Mandalay Bay on Wednesday, in a suite on the 56th floor, a group of cybersecurity experts and law enforcement officials gathered to play a game.
The occasion wasn't to socialize, but rather to come together to brainstorm about how security professionals can better guard against cyber hacks, which have been all too prevalent in the Las Vegas Valley over the past year.
Remember the healthcare hack from earlier this year? That one hampered consumers with pharmacy orders and caused backups at some clinics and cancer centers.
In June, we learned of a massive hack on the Findlay Automotive Group, which has dealerships all over the valley. Service times were stretched and, at times, customers told us of cash-only requirements for payments.
Last year, of course, the two biggest casino companies on the Strip — Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International — were targeted in well-publicized cyber hits.
Marty Momdjian works in the cybersecurity world. He also was once a healthcare company executive.
Today, he works for Semperis, a company that helps to combat cyber weaknesses. He was one of the organizers of Wednesday's event inside the suite.
Momdjian said cybersecurity pros are getting better at helping to protect organizational systems, but he also has a warning.
"The problem is, the adversaries and threat actors are getting better, too," he said.
According to Semperis data, 78% of the companies it surveyed — companies that had suffered a ransomware attack — had paid a ransom.
Momdjian and other experts like to warn companies that paying a ransom should always be a last resort.
Employees from Semperis, along with many other tech professionals, are in Las Vegas this week for the annual Black Hat USA conference.
One of the big talkers this week — the fact that healthcare companies are often at a higher risk of being victimized by cyber criminals.
"What we found in a recent ransomware study of about one thousand companies is that almost 70% of hospitals are paying ransoms," said Bill Keeler, a director for Semperis.
The solution? Well, there isn't a one-size-fits-all fix right now. When improvements are made in the cybersecurity world, criminals often sharpen their skills as well, lending to a seemingly never-ending cat-and-mouse game.
"We're trying to help make the cybersecurity community more aware," Momdjian said. "We're trying to learn from each other and learn from law enforcement and work together. In healthcare, we're seeing this happen over and over again, and we're trying to learn how to better get ahead of it."
