Cybersecurity and The Health Care Industry 

healthcare

Cybersecurity has become a crucial issue for many organizations but also for private individuals. As well as for regular crime, anyone may become a target of ill-intentioned people, exploiting the vulnerabilities of information systems (IS) in any possible way. Healthcare organizations are some of the entities we trust the most and that hold the most sensitive information about us: name, date and place of birth, medical records, social security details, etc. Suffering from many flaws (low budget, lack of IT organization, excessive use of legacy systems…), healthcare actors have become easy targets for hackers, facing more and more pressure and threats from them. 

Healthcare cybersecurity is a growing concern. The last few years have seen hacking and IT security incidents steadily rise and many healthcare organizations have struggled to defend their network perimeter and keep cyber criminals at bay. The attack surface is growing and cyber criminals are developing more sophisticated tools and techniques to attack healthcare organizations, gain access to data and hold data and networks to ransom. 

There are numerous challenges facing healthcare providers when it comes to cybersecurity. Ransomware attacks are increasing, patient data has become harder to protect, and providers now must secure more connected medical devices than ever before. There are three main areas to look at for concern :             

  1. Ransomware attack : Healthcare is not a stranger to this type of malware and is routinely one of the top targets for malicious actors in ransomware attacks. There have been no shortage of ransomware attacks on healthcare in recent years and it appears that there will be no slowing down. It is now more important than ever to implement the appropriate cybersecurity measures. It also makes excellent sense to regularly backup all records/systems and implement a disaster recovery plan. 
  2. Device security: Healthcare companies are encouraging many physicians, nurses, and other medical staff to begin bringing their own devices like tablets, smartphones, and laptops to work. These policies are commonly known as “Bring Your Own Device” or BYOD. While this is an effective cost-cutting measure, many cybersecurity experts believe that BYOD policies can put organizations at risk. Healthcare organizations should become stricter if they seek to enact BYOD policies. They should bar employees from sharing personal health information through file-sharing platforms to minimize risks of identity theft 
  3. Backup and Data recovery : Hospitals and healthcare organizations should take note that backup and data recovery planning must be critical to any IT operations. There must be clear steps to take in the event of a cybersecurity event and how you plan to keep up normal operations if forced to switch to manual operations. It makes sense to regularly backup all patient records and ensure that there are manual functions and processes in all departments. 

Cybersecurity is very important in Health care industry as it saves the Healthcare Industry Millions of Dollars. The healthcare industry has grown so fast in the last 20 years, so much so that now the health care providers are more competent and can deal with more patients in 8-hour shift instead of a 12- hour shift. This all has become possible with the help of technology, which has reduced the physical paperwork.