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How to Protect Your Practice and Patients from Cybersecurity Threats

Forty-five million people globally were affected by healthcare cyber attacks in 2011, compared to 34 million in 2020. Data privacy and security concerns remain for both patients and physicians while cyber and ransomware attacks are wreaking havoc worldwide.

Whether the attack vector is ransomware, credential harvesting or stealing devices, the healthcare industry is a prime target for attackers to monetize PHI and sell on the Dark Web or hold an entity ransom unable to deliver patient care. John Delano, healthcare cybersecurity strategist at Critical Insight and vice president at Christus Health

Check out our useful tips on how healthcare organizations can efficiently protect their own and patients’ confidentiality from malicious actors and untrustworthy third-party vendors to mitigate data exposure.

Top cybersecurity challenges for healthcare facilities

With the rise of virtual care, awareness of cybersecurity risks to health-related data and how to address them is crucial. Let’s look at the most prominent cybersecurity threats.

Report by Critical Insights cybersecurity company

PHI-related data breaches

Protected health information (PHI) remains a lucrative target for cybercriminals since it includes confidential information on lab results, health, treatment histories, and prescriptions along with personal details such as contact addresses and phone numbers.

Malicious actors can hack this data and use stolen patient identities to get loans, purchase medications, or apply for lines of credit.

Due to the financial value of patient health information, electronic health records stored in healthcare organizations are a major target for cybercriminals. Attacks and exploits are evolving daily, becoming more sophisticated and carrying more devastating payloads. Protections must be implemented at every layer of a system. Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor

Healthcare organizations in the United States are legally bound to protect patient privacy by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The HIPAA Privacy Rule sets limits on how patient health records can be used, stored, and transmitted between medical specialists. This relates to data on past and current medical records and billing histories.

By taking proper cybersecurity measures and adhering to HIPAA telehealth requirements, clinics can significantly protect patient data against cyber attacks.

Report by Critical Insights cybersecurity company

Learn more about the importance of HIPAA-compliant software for your healthcare business’s success in our blog post

Weak spots associated with legacy systems

A legacy system is a piece of outdated clinic software or hardware that requires security and performance upgrades. Legacy healthcare systems can be vulnerable to cyber threats and cause security issues. Moreover, legacy systems might not have sufficient protection against today’s malware and viruses, allowing cyber hackers to exploit internal clinic systems with malicious programs.

Substituting outdated legacy systems with modern digital tools can reduce vulnerabilities related to healthcare data breaches.

Risk of using insecure medical devices and third-party software

Healthcare organizations typically cooperate with third-party vendors for all-around patient care and treatment, such as by using connected medical devices for remote patient monitoring or using video conferencing platforms for telehealth. However, these tools can jeopardize the security of healthcare-related data.

In theory, healthcare organizations have to share the responsibility for security with third-party vendors they cooperate with. A clinic must enter into a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) that proves a third-party solution provider complies with HIPAA requirements. Such an agreement signifies that all copies of medical data stored on the vendor’s servers are kept secure.

For example, physicians can use video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Skype to connect with patients and provide virtual care. However, these providers might not sign BAA agreements and thus may fail to comply with HIPAA security requirements.

Healthcare providers should only choose reliable and HIPAA-compliant clinic management software to ensure that no third parties can use or share sensitive data for non-healthcare purposes.

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks 

Bad actors often use distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks and ransomware programs to shut down an organization’s servers. A distributed denial of service attack is an attempt to make a website inaccessible by overloading its server with fake internet traffic to hinder its performance and functionality.

DDoS attack scheme

Furthermore, attackers’ targets include not just web servers; a DDoS attack may also affect networks, mobile devices, databases, and specific application functionalities.

HIPAA-compliant software solutions provide the required level of security to protect your medical organization from various DDoS and web attacks and detect fraud.

Ransomware and phishing attacks 

These are probably the most dangerous threats to health-related data.

According to the 2021 HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Survey, 45% of 167 healthcare practitioners stated phishing attacks were the most significant security incident, while 17% called ransomware their biggest threat.

Percentage of healthcare organizations in the US that experienced different types of cybersecurity incidents in 2021

Malware presents a significant danger to internal software. Malicious programs can include viruses, Trojans, and spyware. Cybercriminals can also attack clinic servers with ransomware, a type of malware program that encrypts internal data and makes it impossible to access.

When it comes to phishing attacks, cyber hackers can mimic a trustworthy email address to make users click on a link. This allows hackers to access personal information and steal sensitive data, such as credit card credentials.

Overview of cybersecurity best practices for healthcare providers

Look at the best strategies for healthcare practitioners to reduce cybersecurity incidents and treat patients more securely.

  • Security training. Theoretical and interactive security training is the foundation for raising employees’ security awareness and is the best way to acquire knowledge and practical skills on cybersecurity.
  • Regular software updates. You should regularly apply software updates since they can impact all aspects of software, from security to speed.
  • Solid system access control. Ensure that only people with authorized rights can access clinical data. You can also provide additional access control, specifying what data can be accessed by your staff members.
  • Routine risk assessments. Regular risk assessments help your IT department identify potential security issues and network vulnerabilities in time.

Tips to prevent cyber attacks & security breaches in healthcare

To stop cyber threats from rapidly spreading across the healthcare industry, clinics should consider applying the following сybersecurity measures to protect patient data privacy.

#1 Keep mobile devices secure

If healthcare providers work in out-of-office settings, they can use equipment including personal laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

Since practitioners can access electronic health records (EHR) from various devices, it can be hard for IT specialists to conduct security risk assessments. That’s why using personal devices may endanger the security and privacy of patients’ medical records.

For example, if a physician loses their smartphone and someone gets access to it, it may result in a leak of patient data. 

Physicians should bear in mind potential cyber risks, follow security guidelines, and receive security training to safeguard their devices and internet networks according to recommended bring your own device (BYOD) security policies

#2 Provide security awareness training to your clinical staff

Apart from external threats to a clinic’s network security, many healthcare data breaches can happen because of simple human errors and a lack of technical knowledge and skills.

For that reason, you should regularly execute security training programs to educate medical staff on how to react to security issues, know where they may come from, and mitigate the risks of cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity training can include courses to raise awareness and specialized security courses that cover different types of cyber crimes. 

#3 Implement a firewall to ensure network security

Healthcare providers’ personal devices may be exposed to cyber crimes. A firewall can help to reduce the likelihood of cyber threats such as viruses, spyware, or unauthorized access to your clinic’s systems. A firewall scans internet traffic or local network traffic to identify threats.

  • Software firewalls can be implemented in common operating systems, providing immediate protection upon installation. 
  • A hardware firewall can be built into a router and provides additional security.

#4 Follow password policy recommendations

Clinics should comply with password policy best practices to provide robust protection against unauthorized access to sensitive health records. Here are some rules for creating strong passwords:

  • Use a password length of 8 to 16 or 20 characters
  • Use partial and incomplete words instead of full dictionary words
  • Include letters, numbers, and special symbols
  • Don’t include personal details in passwords

We’ve described the most significant telehealth security and privacy risks and collected five critical recommendations for safe patient care. Check them out in our blog post!

#5 Use a virtual private network (VPN)

A virtual private network, or VPN, allows healthcare practitioners to encrypt confidential data and mask online identity, hiding actual IP addresses and web activity.

While using a VPN, your web traffic is bounced through a chain to a secure remote server, enabling healthcare providers to use the internet securely, provide patient care, and keep data safe.

A VPN allows healthcare providers to securely connect to the organization’s systems from any device they use to access patients’ electronic health records (EHRs). 

#6 Encrypt sensitive data

The data encryption method automatically converts readable data into cipher text, making it unreadable. Only individuals with a private key can decode and read the information.

Encryption helps protect sensitive patient data that is saved electronically and shared with other specialists, allowing your clinic to comply with HIPAA requirements. 

Even if a cybercriminal managed to hack a particular person’s credentials, such as an email address and password, they could not unscramble the data without having the private key.

Encryption method

Also, encrypt external hard drives used by your medical staff. It’s paramount to ensure that each team member keeps their devices off while out of work, mitigating the chance of cybercriminals accessing information stored on them.

#7 Have a data backup plan

Develop a backup plan to recover all your clinic’s data in case of human errors, cyber threats, or natural hazards. Ensure your IT specialists regularly perform data backups and store data either offline or in the cloud to retrieve it.

Final thoughts

Using reliable clinic management software and following cybersecurity best practices will help you keep your sensitive data safe and improve the quality of medical care delivery. Your technical teams can monitor and quickly detect any threats and schemes, leaving you with fewer worries about the security of your healthcare data.

Investing in advanced clinic management software guarantees security and privacy to your patients, healthcare providers, and medical staff.

Request a free consultation with an ExpertBox specialist to see how you can securely run your healthcare practice using a reliable, HIPAA-compliant software solution.

FAQ
  • With the rise of virtual care, awareness of cybersecurity risks to health-related data and how to address them is crucial. Let’s look at the most prominent cybersecurity threats.

    1. PHI-related data breaches
    2. Weak spots associated with legacy systems
    3. Risk of using insecure medical devices and third-party software
    4. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks
    5. Ransomware and phishing attacks
  • Look at the best strategies for healthcare practitioners to reduce cybersecurity incidents and treat patients more securely.

    • Security training. Theoretical and interactive security training is the foundation for raising employees’ security awareness and is the best way to acquire knowledge and practical skills on cybersecurity.
    • Regular software updates. You should regularly apply software updates since they can impact all aspects of software, from security to speed.
    • Solid system access control. Ensure that only people with authorized rights can access clinical data. You can also provide additional access control, specifying what data can be accessed by your staff members. This will help mitigate unauthorized access attempts and give an extra level of data protection.
    • Routine risk assessments. Regular risk assessments help your IT department identify potential security issues and network vulnerabilities in time.
    1. Keep mobile devices secure
    2. Provide security awareness training to your clinical staff
    3. Implement a firewall to ensure network security
    4. Follow password policy recommendations
    5. Use a virtual private network (VPN)
    6. Encrypt sensitive data
    7. Have a data backup plan
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