“Cotton Mather’s successful smallpox campaign was based on inoculation advice he received from a slave name Onesimus.” —–The Boston Globe
It sounds like Cotton may have had a shot of humility.
More on that later.
In February, Anthem, the nation’s second largest health insurer, reported that 8.8 to 18.8 million people who were not customers could be impacted by their recent data breach. A recent assessment determined that as many as 78.8 million people are affected.
Yet, Anthem refuses a second request for an audit.
Don’t you wonder if Anthem refused the humility dose too?
Did they ignore the red flags?
Could security awareness training have been a drag on their operation?
Perhaps they were too busy with more pressing concerns.
We will probably never know for sure.
But whatever the reason or reasons, their data breach has left an indelible mark on healthcare security.
I am a cautious critic however.
On Cotton Mather:
Would you have listened to an African slave?
Who listens to a slave?
And who takes medical advice from the ‘least’ among us?
Nobody.
Except,
Cotton Mather.
Pay attention.
Anthem is now offering credit monitoring to affected customers if they were impacted by the healthcare security breach.
That is good news.
But they are on the wrong side of history. Specifically, healthcare security history.
Me?
I’d rather take notes on Cotton Mather.
I’d rather be humble than be humbled.
I have a feeling that Cotton would have been a hacker’s worst nightmare.
Why?
Because he stepped out of what was normal and he rejected the familiar.
And even though he was branded for adopting “Negroish” thinking, he took on the Smallpox beast with an obvious but silent and deadly weapon—his ears.
” A terrible epidemic came in 1721, infecting roughly half of Boston’s 11,000 residents.
But Boston’s approach to public health changed that year.
Thanks to an experimental strategy for inoculating citizens with small traces of the disease.”
Healthcare security was at an all time low and he found a solution.
Cotton listened to a slave he named Onesimus who lived in his household.
When he asked Onesimus if he had ever had Smallpox, he answered,
“Yes and No.”
He explained that he had been inoculated with a small amount of smallpox, which had left him immune to the disease.
Fascinated, Mather asked for details, which Onesimus provided, and showed him his scar.
The key phrase was,
“People take Juice of Small-Pox; and Cutty-skin, and Putt in a Drop,” according to the slave.
Read the full article here
Obviously the sophistication is missing. Apparently it wasn’t needed.
Amidst the throes of violent opposition, Cotton Mather pursued the advice he received from his slave.
According to the account, as the dreadful year continued and Smallpox took its toll, 5,889 people had contracted the disease (roughly half the town); 844 people died or one in seven.
Of the 242 who had been inoculated, only six had died—one in 40.
Sophistication isn’t needed in a phishing attack either.
The hacker only needs to ask for the information from those who have it.
Phishing is the primary suspect behind the Anthem healthcare security breach.
Security awareness training teaches organizations how to listen with a dose of humility.
It may be the best inoculation against the next security breach.
A free demonstration of IBM Guardium for Database Security is a great idea as well.
Please contact me here.
