The Global Security Threat to Healthcare
The global pandemic has forced the healthcare industry to operate with connected networks than operating independently like before. Organizations across the globe including industries across verticals are left with no chance other than to look at remote infrastructure as a necessity and move their applications and workloads to the cloud. Tons of clinical and digital patient information is piled up in the data repositories every day. While the entire healthcare system is flooded with people affected by the pandemic and while research centers are racing to manufacture more vaccines, storing and securing data has taken a backseat. Feeding on the global chaos, there has been a sharp rise in the number of sophisticated cyber-attacks on healthcare infrastructures. This trend alarmingly seems to increase in years to come. It’s true that when it comes to cyber-attacks, no industry is immune, and you might be thinking, unlike financial services, hacking into the healthcare system may not be lucrative for hackers. But, the fact that these healthcare providers store sensitive information on patients’ medical history makes it very lucrative.
Nowadays, we have healthcare systems and hospitals chain that runs worldwide and these interconnected networks of medical devices such as CT scanners, mammography machines, and even insulin pumps are connected to the internet. Not having a security system in place throws them open to hackable flaws and makes them an easy target.
Recently, the cost of damages borne by a leading healthcare provider due to a recent cyber-attack was $67 million. The Fortune 500 Company that runs over 400 hospitals and care centers in the US was hit by ransomware in 2020, which erased the medical chain’s online system. The company also lost computer services at all 250 of its facilities in the US. This shows the healthcare industry is taking a reactive approach than a proactive approach to security. The problem in most organizations is they do not think that security needs to evolve in tandem. There is definitely a need for a paradigm shift in thinking and approach to avoid attacks like these.
The year 2022 will likely see more attacks like Phishing, ransomware, third-party risks, and medical device security vulnerabilities. Organizations need to mitigate risk and invest heavily in cybersecurity soon. Many global organizations are now taking a Zero Trust approach to overcome this problem. The Zero Trust model stemmed from the concept of always verify and never trust. Although not an entirely new concept, introduced by Forrester research, it has become a vital factor in digital transformation to provide security at an enterprise level. Zero Trust Approach is a combination of multiple technologies such as identity and access management, endpoint security, identity protection among others. This helps organizations build cyber resilience with the ability to grant, control, monitor, and regain access across the infrastructure. Basically, using this approach the users in the organization can be segmented and granted access only to the application or the activities based on the security policies. Any deviation from the specified action or any attempt to access the data can be flagged immediately, thereby reducing the attack surface. This is one of the many approaches an organization can take to provide a safe and secure platform for their patients and consumers to interact. You can read the detailed article on the Zero Trust approach here.
While there is a huge uproar from the public and media in the way healthcare organizations are handling the data, organizations are still traditional in their approach. They somehow do not seem to throw light on these vulnerabilities yet. Many a time, though they attempt to secure the data infrastructure, they lack expertise. Establishing a cyber security team not only helps organizations stay compliant and gain the trust of the public and customers, but will enable them to land incredible opportunities in their field.
If you are a healthcare provider who wants to take the lead and establish a secure culture in your organization and for your customers, visit our website www.ankercloud.com and learn more about our offerings and services. If you already have a specific need related to cybersecurity reach out to us directly at info@ankercloud.com.
