Healthcare Sector and Cybersecurity

The healthcare industry plays a vital role in creating a healthy and happy society. However, healthcare companies store highly sensitive personal information of patients. This is the reason why hackers and cybercriminals are frequently attacking the healthcare sector in the past few years.?

What’s surprising is that cyber attackers are increasingly inclined to target not only big healthcare corporations but small and medium-sized hospitals too. This is indeed a major concern for cybersecurity professionals as well as the security industry as a whole.?

So, how cyberattacks will impact the healthcare sector in 2023, what are the main challenges and what are the possible solutions? Read on to find out the answers.?

Healthcare and Cybersecurity: Recent Trends

As per HIPPA Journal, the healthcare industry saw a massive jump of 74% in weekly cyberattacks in 2022 compared to 2021 globally. Another report shows that the healthcare sector experienced the highest number of ransomware attacks in the 3 rd Quarter of 2022. Also, ransomware continues to be the top threat to healthcare professionals and executives.?

Why Healthcare Sector is an Attractive Target?

The reasons why the healthcare sector is an attractive target for cybercriminals are discussed:

1. Huge amounts of patient data available at a hospital can be stolen and leaked online for monetary gains

2. Due to the sensitive nature of patient data, the probability of extortion demands being accepted is high

3. Attacks on hospitals gain massive media coverage and thus bring attention to cybercriminal gangs

Challenges for Healthcare Industry?

Technology has been transforming the healthcare industry in recent years. Integrated healthcare models comprising patients, doctors and hospitals/clinics are powered by data sharing at all levels. The pandemic further pushed technology to the forefront. Virtual medical care and consultation plus the use of cloud storage increased.

The digital transformation of the healthcare industry has given rise to cyberattacks and data breaches.? Patient data available at hospitals is like a treasure trove for hackers. Private and sensitive information such as patient name, address, driving license, personal identity number, insurance details etc. can be abused by hackers.

Thus, data security is a necessity in the healthcare industry.?IoT devices have become common in hospitals. From smart cameras being installed everywhere to smart sensors, beds and imaging machines, IoT is changing the way people function. However, these devices are risk-prone as they do not come under the radar of IT teams. Thus, IoT security solutions must be put in place.?

In recent times, security experts have observed cybercriminals targeting healthcare vendors to seize sensitive information. Millions of patients’ personal data have been compromised in the last five years. Due to myriad factors related to the pandemic, hospitals hired vendors to boost efficiency.

However, the healthcare industry is unaware of the vulnerabilities and lack of security measures on the vendor’s side.?

Possible Solutions

The healthcare industry should look to protect data by implementing robust data security strategies. Some of the measures can be as follows:

1. Data encryption at rest and in transit
2. Data backup plan and data recovery process
3. Multi-factor authentication for users

To secure healthcare organizations from multi-vector cyberattacks, the following technology and services can help:

1. Advanced Network Security
2. Cloud Security
3. Mobile and IoT Security
4. Integrated Security Management