President Trump Nominates Sean Plankey as New CISA Director. Reuters reported that President Donald Trump nominated Sean Plankey to head the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Plankey has experience working for the U.S. government, including his cybersecurity support to U.S. forces deployed in Afghanistan, then worked at U.S. Cyber Command, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Navy. He also worked in the previous Trump administration as a director for cyber policy on the White House’s National Security Council and later at the Department of Energy. The Senate must confirm Plankey for the CISA Director role, although no vote has been scheduled.

NIST Publishes Draft CSF 2.0 Quick Start Guide for Public Comment. The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) published the Initial Public Draft of Special Publication 1308: Cybersecurity, Enterprise Risk Management, and Workforce Management Quick Start Guide. This Guide was developed to assist organizations align their cybersecurity efforts, enterprise risk management, and workforce management practices using three key NIST resources: The Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0, The Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity, and NIST IR 8286 Series. Comments on the Guide are open until April 25, 2025.

Cybersecurity Advisory Published on Medusa Ransomware Threat. A joint advisory on the Medusa ransomware threat was published by CISA, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). Medusa, a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) variant, is leveraged to launch ransomware attacks. The advisory details tactics, techniques, and procedures, indicators of compromise, and detection methods associated with known Medusa ransomware activity. The advisory highlights three actions organizations should take: (i) ensure operating systems, software, and firmware are patched and up to date; i(i) segment networks to restrict lateral movement; and (iii) filter network traffic by preventing unknown or untrusted origins from accessing remote services. CISA encourages network defenders to review the advisory and implement the recommended mitigations to reduce the likelihood and impact of Medusa ransomware incidents.

Data Extortion Group Targeting Corporate Executives. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center released an alert to warn of a scam involving letters delivered in the mail from unidentified criminal actors to corporate executives, claiming to have come from a ransomware group. The scam involves criminal actors masquerading as the cyber-criminal “BianLian Group.” Corporate executives are targeted and sent extortion letters threatening to release victims’ sensitive information unless payment is received. In response to this new threat, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published an alert reiterating the FBI’s warning and encouraging impacted entities to report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at Report@cisa.gov or (888) 282-0870.

Health-ISAC Warns of Cyber Group Threatening IT Solutions. The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Health-ISAC) referenced a Microsoft report identifying recent tactics by Silk Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored cyberthreat group known for extensive espionage activities. Health-ISAC considers Silk Typhoon as a significant and credible threat to critical infrastructure, including the health care sector.

CMS Announces ICD-10 MS-DRG GROUPER VERSION 42.1 Now Available. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) MS-DRG V42.1 Grouper Software, Definitions Manual File (Text Version), and the Definitions of Medicare Code Edits V42.1 file, effective for discharges on or after April 1, 2025 are now publicly available here. According to CMS, the ICD-10 MS-DRG V42.1 Definitions Manual File (HTML Version) will be available soon.

OCR Investigates Medical Schools’ Alleged Discrimination. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced an investigation into four medical schools and hospitals under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Section 1557). This investigation aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14173, Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, released in January. These investigations were triggered by information OCR obtained that certain medical schools and hospitals that receive HHS funding may operate medical education, training, or scholarship programs for current or prospective workforce members that discriminate based on race, color, national origin, or sex.