As major data breaches in the healthcare sector continue to impact millions of people, most healthcare organizations around the world and their business associates are striving to tighten cybersecurity while allowing their employees to better serve patients.
Did you know that 89 percent of healthcare organizations experienced a data breach, such as malware attacks, in the last two years?
While advancements in technology have certainly helped generate a lot of growth in the healthcare industry, these advancements are creating many security challenges too. You may know that the healthcare industry is one of the prime targets of hackers.
And this is why the importance of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector is an important consideration for all organizations that handle sensitive patient data on a daily basis.
Note that apart from securing various mobile devices, such as tablets, the proliferation of connected devices such as medical equipment and many other web-related components—the IoT (Internet of Things)— can be incredibly weak security endpoints for many organizations and have to be updated appropriately and secured at all times.
Many standard cybersecurity threats, such as phishing attacks, remain problematic in most healthcare organizations. The cybersecurity challenges below are some of the most significant threats to modern healthcare information security.
Malware and Ransomware
Did you know that cybercriminals use malware and ransomware in order to take over or shut down servers, devices, and even entire networks?
Experts think that ransomware is a major information security threat to the healthcare sector in 2020 and beyond, noting most ransomware attacks were propagated via phishing. Phishing is a user-based mechanism that can trick individuals into facilitating malicious network connections.
After gaining entry, criminals are able to copy and change or even remove data. Note that, in some cases, they may demand a huge ransom to return the stolen information.
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks
You may have heard of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks. They are a popular TTP (tactic, technique, and procedure) that cybercriminals and hacktivists use to overwhelm a healthcare organization’s network to the point of inoperability.
And this poses a serious problem for healthcare companies who require access to the network in order to provide adequate patient care or need internet access to send and receive emails, records, prescriptions, and other information.
Although some DDoS attacks are often opportunistic or even accidental, most target organizations for a political, social, or financial cause pertaining to a specific situation that angers or frustrates these cyber threat actors.
Unsecured Mobile Devices
According to experts, a “tsunami of connectedness” will be one of the major challenges to the healthcare industry in the future. This is because as soon as your employees go mobile, you automatically change your security landscape in terms of threats. And this can be a significant concern.
Healthcare companies are now encouraging many nurses, physicians, and other staff to start bringing their devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and even laptops to work.
According to one survey, 81 percent of healthcare providers allow their doctors, nurses, and other medical staff to use their iPads, iPhones, and various other mobile devices at work. Note that these policies are commonly called “Bring Your Own Device” or BYOD.
And when it comes to Bring Your Own Device policies for the healthcare sector, enabling access to various systems, and then considering the security that has to go into how a specific device is profiled, all have to be paramount.
Employee Errors
At times, unknowingly, employees leave healthcare organizations and providers vulnerable to attack through unencrypted devices, weak passwords, and other similar security mistakes.
Keep in mind that lack of employee education and awareness still present a significant security threat in the modern healthcare industry. And multiple surveys have indicated that the lack of preparedness, as well as understanding of security policies, often leads to the improper exposure and breach of sensitive and confidential patient data.
Final Thoughts
NIA can help your healthcare organization, by providing the right IT consultants and experts to navigate the deep waters of cybersecurity and big data so that you can make more informed decisions.
