As many as 5,887 healthcare data breaches of over 500 records were reported to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) between 2009 and 2023. This resulted in the exposure and impermissible disclosure of 519,935,970 healthcare records, equivalent to 1.5X the population of the United States. The situation has worsened quickly over time. In 2018, one breach of this scale was reported daily. By 2023, the rate more than doubled to more than 1.99 data breaches per day, compromising 364,571 healthcare records every 24 hours. These alarming figures reflect how vulnerable healthcare data has become.
Let’s explore the key cyber threats to healthcare and how healthcare organizations can improve their cybersecurity measures.
With technological advancements in the healthcare industry comes the risk of exposing sensitive and confidential health data through cyber threats. Let’s look at the key cyber threats facing healthcare organizations.
The healthcare industry operates in a fast-paced environment where a constant sense of urgency prevails. Therefore, hospitals and clinics are among the most vulnerable workplaces for phishing attacks as workers or employees may not always verify thoroughly where they are sending sensitive information.
Phishing uses fraudulent websites, text messages, and emails to convince the recipient to share personal information. In healthcare, email phishing is the most common form. Later, such information can be sold to third parties or used for identity theft.
Healthcare data is potentially among a person’s most sensitive information, making the healthcare industry a primary target for ransomware attacks. Such attacks use a virus, usually a trojan worm. The virus infects the computer and makes all data on it inaccessible until the victim pays a ransom.
A common way through which such attacks are initiated is through email phishing, where workers and employees are prone to clicking malicious links or downloading fraudulent files.
The healthcare industry experiences an average of 1.76 data breaches per day. Even though there are strict regulations in place to protect sensitive health information, such as HIPAA, healthcare institutions still struggle with proper compliance implementation. This results in an increased potential of hackers targeting hospitals and clinics and compromising patients’ information.
Healthcare institutions must screen their vendors, provide employees and workers with awareness training, and implement stringent protocols to protect themselves against data breaches and ensure that sensitive health data remains safe.
A DDoS attack occurs when hackers direct an enormous amount of fake traffic to a server, website, or network making it crash or slow down thereby making it inaccessible to legitimate users.
In the healthcare industry, interrupted computer services can have disastrous consequences. To prevent DDoS attacks, IT departments in healthcare institutions must have proper technological defenses in place.
Unauthorized network access constitutes a person gaining access to a computer system or network without permission. It poses a great threat to healthcare institutions thereby risking the exposure of sensitive health information, disruption of services, and loss of privacy. Therefore, hospitals and clinics must implement strong security measures such as encryption, regular updates and screenings, and firewalls.
The expansion of the Internet being utilized for medical devices also puts healthcare institutions at risk of cyber threats. Such devices are vulnerable and, when exploited, can have severe consequences for data security and the health and safety of the patients. Regular updates and monitoring of these devices must be implemented to protect them against cyber threats.
An insider threat is posed from inside the healthcare institution. Insufficient employee awareness in healthcare can lead to significant risks, such as unintentional insider threats. Workers and employees may accidentally facilitate the theft of sensitive health data by clicking on malicious links in emails or downloading virus-infected files.
Healthcare organizations are becoming more prone to cyber threats and attacks, yielding sensitive health data and patient information. Due to the long and busy nature of the work in the healthcare industry, workers and employees are not always able to educate themselves against online risks. Below are a few reasons why healthcare institutions face these key cyber threats:
Health data is sensitive and confidential and, therefore, worth a lot of money to attackers.
Medical devices that use the internet are an easy target for cyber threats.
Due to a collaborative working environment, the staff accesses data remotely, making data prone to attacks.
Insufficient education and awareness amongst healthcare staff.
Outdated technology makes the healthcare industry vulnerable.
Given the extremely sensitive nature of the information that healthcare institutions withhold, improving and maintaining their security posture is crucial. Below are some tips for implementing effective security measures in healthcare against key cyber threats:
Prevent your staff from falling victim to phishing and ransomware attacks, and data breaches through organization-wide awareness and training.
Add an extra layer of security and improve access controls by implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Conduct regular assessments and audits for security and vulnerability to identify potential gaps in the security infrastructure.
Update security measures, software, operating systems, and applications to stay up-to-date and address predictable vulnerabilities.
Instil and encourage a culture of maintaining cybersecurity throughout the organization so that the staff stays vigilant.
Mitigating key cyber threats in healthcare is not just a technological challenge but regarded as an essential step in safeguarding patient safety and maintaining trust. Implementing robust security measures like multifactor authentication, encryption, and ongoing cybersecurity training can help healthcare organizations prevent devastating breaches. Moreover, investing in secure, compliant mobile communication tools and regularly vetting third-party technology solutions are crucial steps in strengthening defenses. These security measures can enable healthcare organizations to better protect their systems, reduce vulnerabilities, and continue to provide safe, uninterrupted patient care.
Imagine IT offers comprehensive cyber security solutions, including Security Shield, designed for small and mid-sized organizations. It goes beyond basic defense, incorporating enterprise-level technologies, threat hunting, AI, breached device isolation, and more. Imagine IT’s Security Shield aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, emphasizing the importance of ongoing user awareness and training and recognizing that human error often contributes to cyberattacks.
Imagine IT offers multi-factor authentication, email protection, vulnerability scanning, and password management. If you’re looking for more advanced services for real-time threat detection and response capabilities, Imagine IT offers those as well.
Contact Imagine IT today to mitigate threats, protect sensitive data, and ensure compliance with industry standards.
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