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According to the report by IBM, the average cost of a data breach is $10.93 million which is the highest when compared with all other industries. These data show that the cybersecurity industry has become the prime target for conducting modern cyberattacks like ransomware, data breaches, social engineering. Due to this highly confidential data for patients getting leaked, hospital staff can also get tricked through BEC and social engineering attacks. This highlights the need to adopt modern security awareness solutions which could help reduce human error and strengthen the defense mechanism of the healthcare sector.
In this blog, we will be discussing the need for cybersecurity solutions in the healthcare sector, key challenges, and solutions to tackle these modern cyber threats.
Key Cybersecurity Challenges in the Healthcare Sector
The technological revolution has helped the healthcare sector grow rapidly but also opened the backdoor to harm this industry through evolving cyber threats. Let’s explore the challenges faced by the healthcare sector:
1. Ransomware Attacks on the Healthcare Sector
The healthcare sector is continuously targeted by ransomware attacks due to the presence of confidential patient data and the urgency of care. Cybercriminals take advantage of this pressure to demand ransoms, often leading to the cancellation of appointments, also resulting in the temporary shutdown of healthcare systems.
2. Using Outdated Technology
Nowadays, many hospitals are still running on unsupported operating systems which enhances the chances of vulnerabilities which can be exploited through malware attacks and data breaches. This can happen due to limited IT budgets and operational issues which disrupts timely updates and increase the chances of the network being exposed.
3. Risks Associated with Compliance and Data Privacy
Healthcare organizations need to comply with industry-standardized rules and regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and NDHM. Not complying with these standardized rules and regulations can lead to data breaches, reputational damage, heavy penalties, and legal consequences as well.
4. Lack of cybersecurity awareness and human error
Due to lack of security awareness training among healthcare staff can result in human error and data breaches. Attackers can take advantage of lack of awareness among healthcare staff through phishing emails and social engineering attacks.
5. Reliance on Third-party vendors and supply chain risks
Hospitals often rely on third-party vendors for billing, software and lab services. Any data breaches in the vendor’s system can badly affect the entire hospital network and also result in affecting the overall supply chain network.
6. Lack of Incident Response Readiness
Missing incident response plans during cyberattacks can cost lives, lead to downtime, and often lack detection.
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Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Key Statistics
The healthcare industry has become the prime target among attackers to target confidential data of patients. To address this issue we need strong cybersecurity measures to strengthen the overall posture of the healthcare sector.
Following are the key statistics of the healthcare sector mentioned below:
- Most Targeted Industry
The healthcare industry is the most targeted industry which accounts for 45% of all data breaches.
Source: IBM
- Patient Safety is at Risk
It has been found that 1 out of 4 ransomware attacks in the healthcare sector result in affecting patient health and the mortality rate as well.
Source: BusinessWire
- Third-Party Breaches
The vulnerabilities in third-party vendor’s systems or suppliers are responsible for 30% of healthcare breaches.
Source: Becker’s Hospital review
- Highest Cost Per Data Breach
According to the report by IBM, the healthcare sector recorded a cost per data breach of $9.77 M which is highest when compared with other industries.
Source: IBM
Modern Cyber Threats: How Healthcare Can Stay Safe
- Perform Risk Assessment
There is a need to perform risk assessments by healthcare organizations to identify and evaluate security risks across their systems.
- Use of Role-based Access Control
To stop unauthorized access and data misuse there is a need to limit system access based on job roles and responsibilities.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
To prevent unauthorized access to systems, patient data and cloud platforms, add MFA for an extra layer of security.
- Encrypt Patient Data
Using strong encryption protocols for meeting modern data protection standards and compliance requirements.
- Train Staff on Cyberattack Simulations
Healthcare organizations can adopt modern security awareness solutions such as TSAT for training staff on simulations of multiple attack vectors to enhance their threat identification and responding capabilities.
- Use Gamified Awareness Solutions
For interactive security training, Threatcop’s TLMS can be used to increase knowledge retention and training completion rate.
- Monitor Insider Activity
The healthcare sector needs to track unusual behavior to detect insider risks or accidental data exposure.
- Segment network for enhanced isolation
To prevent the spread of cyber threats laterally, there is a need for separate networks for EHR systems devices and guess access.
- Preparation of Incident Response Plan
To handle data breaches, ransomware attacks and IT outages in critical healthcare situations, there is a need to create and test incident response plans.
- Assess Vendor Security
Ensuring all third-party service providers and business associates comply with HIPAA and healthcare-specific needs before granting access to confidential patient data.
Conclusion
As the healthcare sector is getting more digitalized, attackers are targeting medical devices, patient data, and digital systems through sophisticated attacks like phishing ransomware and data breaches. Due to these attacks, the healthcare sector needs to face reputational damage and heavy financial losses.
To tackle the risk of these modern threats organizations need to adopt Threatcop Security Awareness solutions such as TSAT and TLMS for multi-attack vector simulations and interactive awareness training with multiple content categories. By combining modern security solutions with smarter people, healthcare organizations can convert their staff from the weakest link to the strongest defenses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: 1. What is healthcare cybersecurity?
Healthcare in cybersecurity refers to the protection of patient data, HER systems, medical devices and clinical networks from modern threats such as ransomware, social engineering, phishing, and data breaches.
Q: 2. What are the top cyber threats to healthcare?
Cyberattacks like ransomware, phishing insider threats, and vulnerabilities that are linked to medical devices and legacy systems are top threats.
Q: 3. How do phishing simulations help healthcare security?
Training staff on phishing simulations helps the healthcare sector determine their staff’s threat identification and responding capabilities.
Q: 4. What are quick ways to secure patient data?
Implementing MFA, limiting access control, conducting incident response planning and monitoring insider threats could help in securing patient data.
Technical Content Writer at Threatcop
Milind Udbhav is a cybersecurity researcher and technology enthusiast. As a Technical Content Writer at Threatcop, he uses his research experience to create informative content which helps audience to understand core concepts easily.
