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Top 10 HIPAA Cloud Questions, Answered
HIPAA Insider
October 29, 2025
Cloud Compliance Myths Busted: Top 10 HIPAA Q&As by HIPAA Vault
“Technology is the engine of healthcare—and today, that engine runs on the cloud.” That’s how HIPAA Inside kicks off this must-hear episode featuring Gil Vidals, CEO of HIPAA Vault, tackling the top 10 questions healthcare teams ask about HIPAA cloud compliance.
Here’s what every healthcare IT leader should know:
If I sign a BAA with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, am I automatically HIPAA compliant?
Nope. You still have to configure everything securely—BAA ≠ instant compliance.What is the shared responsibility model in the cloud?
The provider secures the infrastructure—you secure the data, apps, and access.Is cloud hosting more secure than local servers?
Yes—if done right. Cloud providers offer far more protection than your server closet.Is encryption mandatory for HIPAA cloud compliance?
Yes. Encrypt in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256) to avoid breach fallout.Does ePHI need to stay in the U.S.?
Not legally required—but highly recommended to maintain legal jurisdiction.Can companies really be ‘HIPAA certified’?
No official cert exists. But third-party assessments like HITRUST can help.What’s the #1 cause of HIPAA cloud breaches?
Misconfigurations—like exposed ports or weak access controls.Do I need a BAA for third-party apps in my cloud?
Yes. If they touch ePHI, even indirectly, you need a signed BAA.What’s one technical control we should prioritize?
Multi-Factor Authentication. Low effort, high payoff.Do old backup plans still work in the cloud?
Not quite. You need to configure snapshots and regular backups for full protection.
📚 Want the full deep dive? Read the complete blog post here
Quote of the Week:
“The cloud gives us the power, but the responsibility to configure it securely is ours.”
— Adam Zeineddine, Host of HIPAA Insider
📺 Watch the full episode on YouTube
🎧 Or listen on Spotify —our channel: HIPAA Insider
Industry News Roundup
Hack Smarter, Not Harder
Cybercriminals are ditching their spray-and-pray tactics for stealth mode. The latest Global Threat Landscape Report from ExtraHop shows ransomware groups are launching fewer but far more calculated attacks. With nearly two weeks of undetected access, attackers exfiltrate data and set up high-impact breaches. The result? Ransom demands have jumped 44%, now averaging $3.6 million.
Only 17% of threats are caught during recon, while 70% of victims end up paying. Phishing and compromised credentials remain top entry methods, but defenders are losing the edge due to cloud vulnerabilities, alert fatigue, and understaffed security teams.
ExtraHop’s advice: Know your attack surface, monitor internal traffic, and stay ahead of emerging threats.
Want to decode how hackers are evolving while defenses stand still?
👉 Dive deeper into the threat landscape
September 2025 Healthcare Breach Report: Small Month, Big Asterisk
September's numbers looked promising—only 26 healthcare breaches reported and 1.29M individuals affected, marking the lowest breach total since December 2018. That’s a 56% drop from August. But there’s one problem: the HHS’ breach portal stopped updating on Sept 24 due to the federal shutdown, meaning these numbers are far from final.
Still, the year-over-year trend is encouraging:
469 breaches reported YTD, down from 554 in 2024
42.2M people affected in 2025 so far—85% fewer than in 2024
Most of the September breaches weren’t minor slip-ups—they were serious intrusions:
89% were hacking/IT incidents, almost all involving network servers
Florida and North Carolina topped the charts, accounting for over 1M individuals impacted
4 incidents were reported with placeholder counts (500–501 people), meaning actual exposure could be much higher
And the OCR didn’t rest—they issued a $182K HIPAA fine to Cadia Healthcare for posting patient stories to social media without authorization.
When the biggest data threat is hiding in the backlog, “low” numbers don’t mean much.
👉Read the full breach breakdown before it updates itself
October 2025: Cyberattack Paralyzes Massachusetts Hospitals
Two Massachusetts hospitals—Heywood Hospital in Gardner and Athol Hospital—have been hit by a crippling cyberattack that forced emergency protocols into action. The breach disrupted phone, email, internet, and internal systems, prompting a Code Black, ED ambulance diversions, and downtime in radiology and lab services.
Heywood Healthcare, which runs both facilities, says patient care has continued despite the chaos, though no timeline has been given for full recovery. A third-party cybersecurity firm is now on the case, and patients have been told to use the Athena portal or the hospital’s answering service for updates.
What we know:
ED closed to ambulances following immediate system shutdown
Lab & radiology services impacted
No ransomware group has claimed responsibility yet
Unknown if patient data was stolen or exposed
Hospitals remain open and are providing care
This comes as a Ponemon-Proofpoint survey revealed that:
93% of healthcare orgs experienced a cyber incident in the past year
72% reported care disruption—from appointment cancellations to increased mortality rates
When cyber threats walk through the hospital doors, the risks go far beyond data.
👉 See how patient care hangs in the balance
Focus on Healthcare. We’ll Handle the Hosting.
Running a practice shouldn’t mean running your own servers. HIPAA Vault delivers secure, fully managed HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting—so you can stop worrying about compliance and focus on care.
Why healthcare orgs trust HIPAA Vault:
Built for healthcare: 100% HIPAA compliance, managed by dedicated IT pros.
24/7 support: 90% first-call resolution, always U.S.-based.
Cost-smart plans: Pay monthly. Scale when you’re ready. No bloated contracts.
BAAs included: Every service comes with a Business Associate Agreement
U.S. data centers: High-security facilities across the country
Our Managed Services Include:
Advanced firewalls & intrusion detection
Onsite & offsite backups
Vulnerability testing & patching
Bootless kernel updates
SIEM, logging, and anti-virus monitoring
Multi-tenant isolation & system hardening
Whether you’re a solo clinic or an enterprise network, HIPAA Vault helps simplify your infrastructure, harden your security, and stay audit-ready—all without lifting a finger.