With the leveled cybersecurity attack on healthcare centers, today’s every healthcare professional has to run by a data protection program perhaps more than anything.
A Healthcare cybersecurity strategist at Critical Insight, John Delago, states that the health industry is an essential target for these cyberattacks to sell valuable company data on the dark web, make money from HIPAA-protected health information, or hold Ransommary over the entity just because it could not provide the proper care to its patients.
49.6 million to more than 50 million people were victims of healthcare cyberattacks 2022.
Top 7 Cyber Security Tips for Healthcare Industry
Healthcare cybersecurity is the responsibility of all and every stakeholder in this organization- including the IT department. An appropriate team is established for the organization’s cybersecurity structure, policies, and processes. Some health care centers decide to deal with their cyber security themselves while others hire managed IT services chicago like Advanced IT, a professional cyber security company Chicago. The blog that follows will dwell on the crucial cybersecurity tips required by every healthcare professional.
Train your Staff
As insider and user errors are the most common cause of success in cybersecurity attacks, staff training and awareness become critical to averting healthcare cybersecurity risks.
Make sure your staff members are aware of the typical signs that signal social engineering in phishing attempts via email. Organize regular training sessions to instruct personnel on the proper procedures and keep repeating them to shape up office culture in securities.
As appropriate, hire a third-party consultant or trainer so that everybody in the company becomes familiar with security best practices and increases their knowledge of the organization’s activities.
Employ Mobile Devices With Caution
The incorporation of mobile technology into medical services was a tremendous blessing.
Your facility or healthcare system should have a complete mobile security policy regarding the usage of both work and personal mobile devices. This policy should include:
- Emphasis on the need for solid passwords in all work-related applications
- Device-level passwords
- Encrypted backups
- The remote wipe feature activated in case of loss.
- And more.
Implement Data Usage Controls
Protective data controls take advantage of further access. So, data controls will allow healthcare organizations to block certain activities dealing with sensitive information outputs such as web uploads, unauthorized email sends, and copying for external storage or printouts. Data discovery and classification also take essential supportive roles in this process ensuring that sensitive data can be identified and marked with the right level of protection.
Use a Strong Password
For the most effective practices of cybersecurity in healthcare and to ensure that your devices are protected from unauthorized access, you need a strong password. As many of these attackers use automated methods to guess or crack passwords, using strong and complicate ones may help in preventing such possibilities.
Remember to take the following into consideration concerned with security in the healthcare system’s password ecosystem
- 8 characters or longer password.
- Passwords must be a combination of uppercase, lowercase, numeric, and special characters.
- Either regularly or as required by local regulations, change your password.
- Do not use dictionary words since they are easy to identify.
- Do not use personal information such as a family member’s name, your own name, or date of birth in password development.
Test Vulnerability Testing With Third Parties
Vulnerability testing is another cybersecurity function that would be helped by having an outsider’s perspective. Often, choosing an unbiased third party is the logical choice if you want to be absolutely sure that your networks and healthcare system have been protected from any intended harm outside. And it’s not only about the safety of your digital networks – issues with physical security can also emerge, like the place to store equipment.
For instance, conduct third-party penetration testing on every access point within your network. They also emphasize that hospitals and other facilities should have special procedures in place for using, as well as the return of equipment or electronic devices that may contain information about sensitive data – exceptionally patient ones – but are not at risk of having been involved ιn any physical way.
Identify HIPAA Standards as Non-Negotiable
When considering the safety of our data, we first think about conscious crime. However, a rogue storm or even power failure is enough to cause a devastating loss of data. Knowing regulations like HIPAA, in and out, becomes critically important to another area. It’s also a valid motive for understanding and learning the SEC guidelines on how to submit a breach data disclosure. Resources like this will help you plan your recovery strategy should the worst happen.
The healthcare industry as a whole has moved towards the use of much more accessible and convenient electronic health records, but remaining HIPAA guidelines still offer robust guidance for protecting those records both when they’re “at rest” and “in transit.” Another security measure recommended by HIPAA is that healthcare system managers are alerted in real-time every time an attempt to access important patient information occurs.
Back up Data to a Secure, Offsite Location
Cyberattacks may cause sensitive patient information to be revealed, but they can also undermine data integrity or availability – ransomware is an excellent demonstration of the consequences such events may have. If data isn’t adequately backed up, natural disasters impacting the data center of any given healthcare organization can have catastrophic effects. That is why regular offsite data backups are recommended, with proper controls in place for encryption of the said data, access, and other best practices to ensure that these backup data are secured. Data backups offsite are an integral part of disaster management.
Conclusion
Notwithstanding that the healthcare industry is one of the most often targeted by cybercriminals and ranked among those where a data breach would cost significantly, it’s essential to apply these best practices on security in healthcare as well as monitor new trends regarding IT protection. Avoid the risk of data breaches and costly fines for your organization, give yourself peace of mind knowing that all HIPAA requirements are being met, and rest assured that sensitive patient information can be entrusted to you.