US launches Project Lifeline 250 to secure rural hospitals

The White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have launched Project Lifeline 250. This six-month pilot program aims to protect vulnerable rural healthcare organizations from cybersecurity threats by providing free hardware and services.

Partnering technology and cybersecurity firms, including Cisco, Cyera, Microsoft, Trellix, and Zscaler, will assist hospitals in upgrading basic defenses, providing backup hardware for outages, and replacing insecure legacy technology. The program is currently beginning in South Carolina in coordination with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross stated the administration is committed to modernizing facilities and deploying innovative care models in rural communities. The initiative addresses the heightened risk faced by rural facilities, which often rely on complex medical device supply chains and possess large amounts of sensitive data that make them targets for threat actors.