Cyber Security Training in Tamil | தமிழில் சைபர் பாதுகாப்பு பயிற்சி

Why is Cybersecurity so Important to the Healthcare Industry?

Cybersecurity incorporates a number of technologies to safeguard digital data. Threats come from unauthorized access and internal missteps lead to increased risks that hackers take advantage of. Healthcare is increasingly the target of cybercriminals as bad actors learn how to successfully target unguarded or insufficiently guarded data. This includes data sharing, digital health records and medical devices that send data to hospital systems without protecting the data in transit.

Health informatics makes the process more efficient. The threat of cyber attacks makes technology less reliable than it would otherwise be. At the same time, healthcare professionals rely on technology to retrieve, send and share healthcare data. Due to various cyber threats, every organization needs to invest in solutions that keep data secure without compromising access to technology for those fighting to save lives.

How Has the Digital Revolution Changed Healthcare?

Not too long ago, doctors had to limit their time with patients due to a mountain of complicated paperwork. The digital revolution has helped solve that problem. With fewer handwritten notes and more direct entry into electronic patient files, paperwork and the amount of time devoted to it have decreased dramatically.This is a crucial advancement as the global population soars and the number of healthcare data becomes more difficult to secure. Cybersecurity in healthcare needs to secure the network and database without slowing down the process of providing efficient care.

Does Cybersecurity in Healthcare Save Money?

Cybersecurity saves millions of dollars in the healthcare industry. The industry has grown rapidly in the last two decades. Now, healthcare providers deal with many more patients in an 8-hour shift than they used to in a 12-hour one. This is largely due to the reduced paper trail made possible by digital technology.With cloud-based computing, providers can share information with patients, colleagues and other departments in seconds. At the same time, safely storing and accessing patient data is also much easier.

How Important Is Cybersecurity to Patients?

Patients have the biggest stake in cybersecurity. After all, it’s their data and privacy that are at risk — and possibly their health. Hackers leak private information on the dark web, where it may be picked up to commit identity theft, Medicare fraud, and other crimes. Advanced cybersecurity allows medical professionals to ensure privacy and peace of mind for their patients. This also prevents legal issues related to hacked patient data.

Healthcare practices are at a disadvantage due to the many endpoints in the system, including the Internet of Things (IoT) devices that feed data into the network from various endpoints. Specifically, tablets introduce vulnerability because they hold patient health records or are used to access them. No matter how much administrators shore up the network, it only takes one outdated device to open the healthcare provider up to an attack.

What Improvements Need to Be Made?

Healthcare organizations can take the following steps to secure their data:

• Patch systems based on the recommendations of system and application vendors
• Open only required ports
• Scan systems to identify vulnerabilities
• Prioritize system vulnerabilities based on risk severity
• Enable SSL certificates and test to ensure they’re working as expected

Cybersecurity challenges in health care

The newest cyber vulnerabilities are not necessarily an organization’s biggest cyber threat. Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report found that most breaches are about money and attackers usually take the easiest route to obtain the information they need. Consequently, many common threats continue to be problematic in health care, including:

• Malware and ransomware: Cyber criminals use malware and ransomware to shut down individual devices, servers or even entire networks. In some cases, a ransom is then demanded to rectify the encryption.
• Cloud threats: An increasing amount of protected health information is being stored on the cloud. Without proper encryption, this can be a weak spot for the security of health care organizations.
• Misleading websites: Clever cyber criminals have created websites with addresses that are similar to reputable sites. Some simply substitute .com for .gov, giving the unwary user the illusion that the websites are the same.
• Phishing attacks: This strategy sends out mass amounts of emails from seemingly reputable sources to obtain sensitive information from users.
• Encryption blind spots: While encryption is critical for protecting health data, it can also create blind spots where hackers can hide from the tools meant to detect breaches.
• Employee error: Employees can leave health care organizations susceptible to attack through weak passwords, unencrypted devices and other failures of compliance.

Another growing threat in health care security is found in medical devices. As pacemakers and other equipment become connected to the internet, they face the same vulnerabilities as other computer systems. To ensure patient safety, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration recommended that both the manufacturer that creates the device and the health care facility that implants it take preventive security measures.

Strategies for improving cybersecurity

Due to the significant financial impact of data breaches in health care, health informatics and other professionals are playing an important role in ensuring that medical organizations remain secure.
According to HealthIT.gov, individual health care organizations can improve their cyber security by implementing the following practices:

1. Establish a security culture: Ongoing cybersecurity training and education emphasize that every member of the organization is responsible for protecting patient data, creating a culture of security.

2. Protect mobile devices: An increasing number of health care providers are using mobile devices at work. Encryption and other protective measures are critical to ensure that any information on these devices is secure.

3. Maintain good computer habits: New employee onboarding should include training on best practices for computer use, including software and operating system maintenance.

4. Use a firewall: Anything connected to the internet should have a firewall.

5. Install and maintain anti-virus software: Simply installing anti-virus software is not enough. Continuous updates are essential for ensuring health care systems receive the best possible protection at any given time.

6. Plan for the unexpected: Files should be backed up regularly for quick and easy data restoration. Organizations should consider storing this backed-up information away from the main system if possible.

7. Control access to protected health information: Access to protected information should be granted to only those who need to view or use the data.

8. Use strong passwords and change them regularly: The Verizon report found that 63 percent of confirmed data breaches involved taking advantage of passwords that were the default, weak or stolen. Health care employees should not only use strong passwords, but ensure they are changed regularly.

9. Limit network access: Any software, applications and other additions to existing systems should not be installed by staff without prior consent from the proper organizational authorities.

10. Control physical access: Data can also be breached when physical devices are stolen. Computers and other electronics that contain protected information should be kept in locked rooms in secure areas.

In addition to these recommendations, health data professionals are continually developing new strategies and best practices to ensure the safety of sensitive health data, protecting both the patient and organization from financial loss and other forms of harm.