The healthcare sector has experienced a growing number of cybersecurity threats in recent years. Healthcare organizations have done a great job embracing useful technologies, such as electronic health records (EHRs), medical devices that connect to the internet (IoMT), and AI-supported diagnostic tools. Somewhat ironically, this success has created more opportunities for criminals to attack health service providers.
These are important tools that streamline services and improve patient outcomes. Taking advantage of them, however, means organizations need proactive cybersecurity strategy that can detect and prevent attacks before they cause serious damage.
Ransomware Threats in Healthcare
When a healthcare system is attacked with ransomware, hackers can hold critical information and tools hostage until the victim pays a ransom. Ransomware likely affected at least 375 million people in the U.S. between 2010 and 2024.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) writes that “ransomware attacks on hospitals are not white collar crimes, they are threat-to-life crimes.” That’s an important distinction because ransomware threatens a healthcare organization’s ability to treat patients.
If a healthcare organization becomes a victim of ransomware, patients can lose access to electronic health records, control of medical devices, and hospitals can lose communications between staff members. Think of all the hard and soft costs associated with the systems downtime from an attack within any healthcare organization.
Malware also puts the hospital in a difficult ethical situation. If you pay the ransom, you encourage criminals to target other healthcare facilities. If you don’t pay the ransom, your patients and staff suffer. Of course, paying the ransom never ensures that the criminals will remove the malware. They could just continue asking for more money.
Surprisingly, the most successful ransomware attacks come from phishing emails, so it’s important that every user is aware and can recognize scam messages. As well as implementing a multi-factor cyber security approach to help safeguard systems.
Implementing Zero Trust Frameworks
Zero trust frameworks assume that your system and connected devices have been compromised. Professionals often refer to this perspective as “never trust, always verify.”
Implementing this approach means that every user must verify their identity before accessing your computer network. Before implementing zero trust, you might assume a mobile device is safe because it’s within your office. After zero trust, you would require the user to verify their identity by signing in (likely using multi-factor authentication).
Zero trust also uses least privilege to prevent accounts from accessing information they don’t need. For example, an ER nurse probably doesn’t need access to patient records in maternity, so their account won’t allow them to access those records.
Securing the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is revolutionizing healthcare. It’s also creating new vulnerability points that cybercriminals can use to steal sensitive information and hack into your network.
The ways care providers use and secure IoMT devices will change over time. Currently, some of the best IT practices include the following.
- Maintaining an accurate, updated list of medical devices used by your facility’s patients
- Mapping all data flows so you know where information comes from
- Segmenting your networks to isolate IoMT devices from other systems
- Protecting PHI by encrypting data at both ends
- Monitoring your network to reveal potential vulnerabilities as they emerge
Enhancing Cloud Security in Healthcare
Your facility almost certainly uses some type of cloud computing to access essential tools, store large amounts of data, and share information with trusted partners. Cloud solutions have become necessary for most businesses, including those in healthcare.
While moving patient data to the cloud from on premises, could decrease security risks, you can enhance cloud security by:
- Relying on a service that encrypts all data and provides cyber security to protect the cloud environment.
- Using automated, AI-driven audits to check your cloud data for HIPAA compliance
- Assigning an alternate security contact to your account so someone you trust can get immediate notification when a security issue occurs.
Taking these steps will help ensure that no one can access data stored in the cloud. If someone does gain access, the encrypted data should be impossible for them to read or use.
Developing a Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy
It will take multiple approaches to protect your healthcare organization and patients from cybercriminals. Developing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy prevents threats from occurring. By having a defined proactive approach versus a reactive approach in place.
Where do You Start?
A risk assessment reviews your current technology to identify potential vulnerabilities that criminals might use to access your network. These vulnerabilities will change over time as you adopt new digital tools and cybercriminals become more sophisticated. Ongoing risk assessment and management can secure your system before an attack occurs.
Employee Training and Awareness Programs
While some hackers rely on sophisticated techniques to find your system’s vulnerabilities, others use simple tactics like sending phishing emails to your employees. Everyone in your organization needs to know how to spot the signs of a phishing email.
Of course, some hackers now use AI to make their phishing attempts more successful. A reliable employee training and awareness program will teach people to notice tell-tale signs and report suspicious interactions.
Incident Response Planning
Preparation significantly reduces the likelihood that a cybercriminal will breach your security, but nothing makes it impossible. That’s why healthcare organizations need incident response plans that outline how to respond to the threat. Even if you cannot completely prevent an incident, you must have the tools to recover quickly and continue serving your patients. This is where an effective back-up and replication managed service provider is essential.
ISG Technology has a team of professionals that specializes in healthcare cybersecurity. Whether you operate a mid-sized clinic or a larger hospital, our experts can develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that meets your unique needs.
Get in touch with ISG Technology so you can learn about best tools to protect your health system and its patients while being HIPAA compliant.