As every data related to the customers goes online, including health data, even the healthcare industry requires cybersecurity. Surprisingly, the cybersecurity game is really strong in other industries but not so much in healthcare. The healthcare industry still lacks the proper implementation of cybersecurity which is needed to save data related to patients.
Why is this the case?
- The hospital authorities are extremely focused on hiring talented doctors, interns, and nurses. This is necessary to ensure the best healthcare to the patients arriving at the hospital. However, usually, cybersecurity is completely ignored by the overall picture.
- Hospitals have a faulty structure for standard cyber procedures. This is especially true when there are several buildings and more systems in the pipeline. The best practices related to online data security are not being followed.
- Due to a shared network harboring several devices, hospitals make an easy target for the potential hacker.
- While it is clear that healthcare currently lacks a cybersecurity structure, why is it important in the first place?
- Hospitals make a lucrative target. It is easier for the hacker to get into the system due to low cybersecurity and then steal details of millions of patients. The huge customer base, in fact, makes the situation worse than it should be.
Hence, cybersecurity is imperative for the healthcare industry. Below we have explained the threats faced by healthcare and cybersecurity applications in healthcare.
Threat Faced by Healthcare
- The ransomware threat that can immediately take down every important system until you pay a ransom to acquire the encryption code. Of course, in this case, the hospital authorities would be forced to pay the ransom because lives are at stake.
- All the information related to patients on the cloud can be breached and utilized in the wrong manner. There are so many patients so the damage would be huge.
- Employee errors where the employee can accidentally expose the organization to a threat. For instance, offering unauthorized access to a stranger.
Applications of Cybersecurity in Healthcare
There are various cyber threats that can impact healthcare units across the world. Here are ways in which you can enhance cybersecurity and keep your hospital safe from cyber threats.
- Utilize updated and new technologies and tools to prevent the loopholes present in the outdated technology.
- Focus on the security of online data and transactions by educating employees about access and unauthorized control.
- Create a secure network and prohibit employees from using their own device at work to avoid breach at any cost. If that is not possible, create a policy to help employees safely use personal devices.
- Use a firewall for the systems having internet access and install a good anti-virus with strong security structure.
- Plan for the breach, hire an IT team and create a policy to help guide the employees in case of a breach.
- Control who has access to what data by limiting access of employees to certain data.
- Encourage employees to password-protect extremely essential files.
- Control the outsiders who have physical access to your systems. Employ a system where only authorized employees can access any device connected to the internet.
Healthcare is capturing huge amounts of data every day and this data contains personally identified information, sensitive data, and financial data of the hospital. Keeping all this data safe is absolutely necessary for the sake of patients and every other healthcare stakeholder.