CNN —Microsoft and Google will offer free or discounted cybersecurity services to rural hospitals across the United States to make them less vulnerable to cyberattacks that have disrupted patient care and threatened lives, the White House and Microsoft said Monday. Microsoft said in a statement to CNN that it would provide free security updates for eligible rural hospitals, as well as security assessments and training for hospital staff. Google will provide free cybersecurity advice to rural hospitals and start a pilot program to match the firm’s cybersecurity services with the needs of rural hospitals, Anne Neuberger, the top cyber official at the White House National Security Council, told reporters on Sunday. The nation’s roughly 1,800 rural community hospitals are among the most vulnerable to dangerous ransomware attacks because they often lack IT security resources and cybersecurity-trained staff. “We do see a much more permissive environment in Russia by both hacktivists and criminals, and it’s of concern,” Neuberger, the White House official, told reporters.

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Persons: Anne Neuberger, Biden, “, ” Neuberger, ” Cleveland, Justin Bibb’s, Cleveland, Bibb’s Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Google, White House, White House National Security Council, Sunday, American Hospital Association, National Intelligence, UnitedHealth, FBI, Department of Public Safety, Department of Public Utilities Locations: United States, Russia, City, Cleveland