Safeguarding Patient Information: The Significance of Cybersecurity in the Healthcare Industry
As digital transformation continues to shape the healthcare industry, healthcare organizations must prioritize cybersecurity. These organizations are entrusted with sensitive personal information from patients, making them a prime target for cybercriminals to steal, exploit, or sell the data they acquire, as evidenced by a recent breach at MCNA Dental which impacted 8.9 million patients.
The healthcare industry is unique in that exposure, loss, or amending of information can have a long-lasting impact on its victims. Unlike credit card information, healthcare information is not easily changed or canceled, which can cause embarrassment, direct health implications, or even lead to targeted scams.
We have seen many examples of this, such as the ransomware attack on a plastic surgery clinic in Florida, which caused patients to receive ransomware notes with the threat of their data being exposed if they were not paid. Similarly, the breach of a psychology hospital in Germany exposed private details about psychiatric patients.
To avoid these scenarios, healthcare organizations should prioritize cybersecurity by implementing robust security measures such as intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and encryption technologies. In addition, organizations should adopt effective cybersecurity policies and ensure regular employee training to combat social engineering techniques like phishing, the most common way cybercriminals breach organizations.
Attackers take advantage of vulnerable employees by sending convincing but fraudulent emails which appear to be from a known or trusted source. Once clicked, these emails allow access to networks or sensitive data. Employee security awareness training ensures they know how to recognize and thwart such attacks.
Finally, it is important for healthcare organizations to work with reliable and trustworthy vendors that have a good track record of implementing effective cybersecurity solutions. This includes conducting regular cybersecurity audits to assess the competency of their current MSP or IT service provider.
The healthcare industry must prioritize cybersecurity. Patient data is sensitive and personal and must be protected. Organizations that do not take these measures seriously risk severe repercussions as cybercriminals constantly evolve their attack strategies. By embedding good security practices, healthcare organizations can build a security culture and mitigate the risk of losing patient data and damaging their reputation.
Information used in this article was provided by our partners at KnowBe4.