The other day when my mom called her doctor’s office to make an appointment, it took the associate a long time to pull up the office calendar. When my mom asked why, the person responded, “You haven’t heard? Check the newspaper.” It turns out the office was still reeling after becoming one of many in our county hacked and forced to pay a ransom in order to retrieve their data. Aside from the protagonist’s relationship to a highly talented and influential media superstar, what’s unique about this anecdote? Absolutely nothing. The Boston Globe’s Curt Woodward on why health files make for a juicy target for thieves.

+ And the beat goes on. From Brian Krebs: “A Russian organized cybercrime group known for hacking into banks and retailers appears to have breached hundreds of computer systems at software giant Oracle.”