We explore the critical role of cybersecurity in healthcare, understanding its significance, challenges, and how to enhance data protection amidst rising cyber threats.
Digital ecosystems have transformed healthcare. While this is great news for efficiency and service delivery, it puts healthcare organizations in a challenging position: loads of highly sensitive, protected data make every organization a prime target for cyberattacks.
The impact of cyber threats is sobering. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed that the cost of remediating a breach in health care stands at $408 per stolen record, almost three times that of stolen non-health-related records ($148).
By understanding and addressing the cyber threats facing your organization, you can establish systems for protecting patient data, maintain the continuity of care, and continue to build trust from patients and other stakeholders.
The Evolving Landscape of Cybersecurity Threats in Healthcare
Healthcare and data security have become more complicated as organizations digitize more and more health records and integrate connected medical devices. Patient data gets stored in apps and databases that anyone with the right access credentials — or exploitation tools — can read, copy and redistribute.
Delivering high-quality care often depends on a series of connected Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices. For instance, patients can use insulin pumps that receive operational data online. A hacker who exploits a vulnerability in these or other internet-connected devices could not only hurt patients but start a domino effect of litigation, restitution payments, and other financial fallout.
Of course, these are only some of the threats organizations face. Ransomware, phishing, identity theft, malware, and third-party attacks all need attention in the healthcare sector. As the threat landscape evolves, organizations face unique challenges in preventing and mitigating attacks on their digital assets and patient information.
Unique Security Considerations for Healthcare Organizations
Why is cybersecurity important in healthcare? Due to the volume and sensitivity of the data they steward, healthcare organizations are subject to strict regulatory standards, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), particularly for those who deal with European partners or patients.
As a result, organizations have to manage a challenging balancing act: enabling access to data for effective patient care while implementing robust security measures.
For example, suppose a hospital implements a system for managing electronic healthcare records (EHRs). To reduce expenses and improve patient services, the team decides to give remote and hybrid employees, in addition to on-campus staff, access to the EHR system.
Implementation would require strict access controls using multifactor authentication for all users. The system must also be HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant regarding data storage and transmission. For example, the hospital needs encryption protocols for data, both as it sits in the solution’s database and as it travels to each endpoint.
The solution would also need mechanisms to audit the length of time it stores data and the reasons why. This would make it easier for the team to conform to HIPAA’s data control standards.
Also, there’s a diverse range of types of healthcare companies, including hospitals, insurance providers, clinics, research facilities, and those that provide healthcare-specific software and other innovations. Each of these has unique requirements due to operational differences, yet they have to conform to many of the same data management standards.
The first step is understanding the unique cybersecurity challenges healthcare organizations face. Our next step is to explore the risks involved and how to mitigate them.
The Multifaceted Impact of Cyber Risks in Healthcare
Cybersecurity in healthcare is especially paramount due to the ripple effects of an attack. For example, patients, providers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders must deal with issues regarding:
- Patient safety and healthcare outcomes. System downtime often makes it impossible for doctors and nurses to provide adequate care. Failed IoMT devices can put patient health and safety at risk as well.
- Financial consequences. Ransomware payments can easily skyrocket to the hundreds of thousands of dollars — or higher. Many outages come with a loss of business, damaging your revenue stream. Even with cyber insurance, your premiums can spike after a breach. Regulatory fines also come with a hefty price tag, especially if they aren’t covered by an insurance policy.
- Reputational damage and the loss of patient trust. A strong reputation for safeguarding patient data earns trust, but a breach can have the opposite effect. This can impact your reputation in the eyes of those in your industry, including potential partners. It can also damper merger and acquisition prospects down the road.
- Operational disruptions and their effect on care delivery. Whether it’s a downed remote connection a surgeon uses to guide an operation or a compromised payment information database, breaches can bring operations to a halt. The consequences give reason for pause: interruptions to time-sensitive care that could otherwise improve outcomes and save lives.
To illustrate the impact of an attack, the breach at UnitedHealth Group’s tech unit may have compromised one-third of Americans’ data. Also, in 2015, Health insurance provider Anthem suffered an attack that impacted the lives of more than 78 million people.
Given these significant risks, healthcare leaders must be proactive. This requires taking steps to protect your organization, even with limited technical expertise. With the wealth of solutions available, you don’t need to be a data scientist or cybersecurity expert to drastically reduce your cyber risks.
How To Improve Cybersecurity in Healthcare
Despite the diverse array of risks facing healthcare and cybersecurity, protecting your organization is relatively straightforward. The following measures each have a multitude of benefits. Implementing them all puts a cyber forcefield around your organization.
Implement a Comprehensive Risk Assessment and Management Program
By identifying your risks, you know what you must protect, and by managing your risk, you can reduce the cost of your cyber solution.
For example, by identifying the IoMT endpoints connected to your network, you can pinpoint the kinds of endpoint protection you need. If your risk management system reveals that implementing a new technology would drastically increase your vulnerabilities, you may decide to table that tech for the time being.
Invest in Employee Training and Fostering a Culture of Cyber Awareness
Your employees can either be your biggest vulnerability or an effective, proactive defense system against hackers. To establish a culture of cyber awareness, you should:
- Teach employees about the most common attacks, such as ransomware, phishing, and malware infections, and what to do when they suspect an incident.
- Assign clear roles in your cyber defense or IT teams, and let all employees know what each team member does and when to contact them with questions or concerns.
- Run exercises using mock attacks to assess employee readiness when dealing with a cyber incident.
Adopt a Zero-Trust Security Model and Multifactor Authentication
A zero-trust security model assumes that every person, device, or network that connects with your system is a threat. Only after they prove they’re not a threat do you allow them access. By presuming entities are threats instead of benevolent, you reduce the chances of a bad actor using lax security measures to penetrate your system.
Multifactor authentication forces users to verify their identities using multiple methods, such as a username-password combo coupled with an email or code sent to a mobile device. This stops many hackers in their tracks because they may have a username and password but can’t verify via the second or third method.
Regularly Update and Patch Systems and Medical Devices
When a manufacturer discovers a vulnerability in a supported software or hardware solution, they must work to patch it. When you update your software and medical devices, you get the latest version of the software, which gives you access to the most recent patches. In other words, you get a free security boost in minutes.
Even though these measures serve as a strong foundation for your security solution, the healthcare industry and its cybersecurity risk are constantly changing. So, it’s vital to continue evolving your security practices to stay ahead of attackers.
Future Directions for Healthcare Cybersecurity
Despite the growing number of threats, new technologies will continue to make it easier to defend networks. You can also take steps to make networks and their assets safer from hackers:
- Use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for threat detection. AI- and ML-enabled systems can detect threats based on their behavior instead of relying on the data inside data packets that transmit them. In this way, if a threat merely “walks like a duck,” the system can automatically take steps to stop it.
- Enhance collaboration and information sharing within the healthcare sector. Health providers, insurers, researchers, and others can share data regarding the kinds of threats they deal with. You can then use that information to predict and prevent future attacks.
- Integrate security considerations into the design of new healthcare technologies. Developers will continue to incorporate encryption, authentication systems, and network segmentation techniques as they design software and data management solutions.
- Advocate for updated regulations that address emerging security challenges. As someone in the healthcare sector, you can raise your hand in support of regulations that ensure network security for a wider range of devices, as well as new AI-based solutions that collect or manage sensitive data.
Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Now
Threats are evolving, and so are their impacts on healthcare organizations. But you can significantly reduce your risk by taking a few practical measures. Encryption makes your data useless for attackers, and multifactor authentication and zero-trust keep attackers from getting inside your systems in the first place. Risk management and employee training can shrink your attack surface, while updates and patch management result in free enhancements to your defenses.
These measures can provide a powerful foundation, but even after they’re in place, it’s still important to prioritize cybersecurity. By proactively protecting your organization and patients, you can repel attackers and maintain your reputation.
Cybersecurity for critical infrastructure is vital to everyday life, and it’s up to your organization to help keep it secure. Download our white paper for industry-based tips.
Cybersecurity is an ongoing process, and it requires continuous attention and adaptation. Our Cybersecurity experts can help empower healthcare organizations with the tools they need to defend their digital assets. Learn more by connecting with us today. Let’s talk
