In this era of digital technology, every industry is dependent on computer systems, and healthcare organizations are no different. They have increasingly relied on computer systems to manage patient data, medical records, and other sensitive information. This dependency has created cyber security issues in the healthcare system to a great extent.
In this blog, let’s discuss some of the most pressing cybersecurity threats lingering on healthcare organizations in 2023 and some tips for improving their security measures.
Phishing
It is the most common tactic used by cyber-criminals to trick people into giving sensitive information, which includes login credentials or financial data.
In the context of healthcare organizations, phishing attacks target employees via email systems that seemingly look like they are coming from legitimate sources, such as IT departments.
Such emails contain links or attachments that install malware onto the organization’s computer system.
Prevention
Healthcare organizations must invest in employee education and training programs to remedy such attacks. These programs give the employees skills on how to recognize phishing emails and avoid falling prey to them. Other than that, organizations should also work on implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for sensitive data access.
Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware is malware that encrypts organizational files to be inaccessible until some amount or ransom is paid to the attacker. Such attacks on healthcare organizations are not good since they can disrupt the delivery of critical patient care services.
Prevention
Healthcare setups should take regular data backups and test different systems to ensure they can quickly restore files during an attack.
They must also limit the number of people accessing sensitive data and implement role-based access controls so that only authorized personnel can access it.
Data Breaches
Data breaches are common when an attacker gains unauthorized access to an organization’s computer system. They steal sensitive information, such as patient medical records or financial data, to use for their ulterior motives.
Such attacks are a significant drawback in terms of financial losses for healthcare organizations, damage to their reputation, and loss of patient trust.
Prevention
To prevent such an event, healthcare organizations invest in robust security measures. This includes firewalls and intrusion detection systems.
Moreover, regular vulnerability assessments identify potential weaknesses in the systems and address them before attackers can exploit them.
DDoS Attacks
Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS attack is exceedingly overwhelming for an organization. These attacks damage healthcare by disrupting critical patient care services and causing significant financial losses.
Prevention
To prevent DDoS attacks, healthcare organizations must implement DDoS mitigation solutions, like adding firewalls and content delivery networks.
Top 3 Ways to Improve Security of Healthcare Organizations:
Educate Employees: As mentioned earlier in this blog, employee awareness and training programs is a must to prevent cyber attacks. Healthcare organizations should invest in regular training sessions to help employees identify potential threats and avoid falling victim to them.
Conduct Regular Risk Assessments: Regular risk assessments spot potential weaknesses in the computer systems before attackers can get to them. Such measures should include vulnerability scans, penetration testing, etc.
Implement Robust Security Measures: Robust security measures, like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption technologies, sensitive data.
Final Note
You can always get in touch with the pros of technology from Ranger Wifi to help you out with cyber security issues. Get in touch with us by dialing (281) 638 8835.