Why the Need to Protect Healthcare Data Has Become
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Posted On: 01/14/2025 4:30:02 PM
Why the Need to Protect Healthcare Data Has Become More Imperative
Reliance on technology in the healthcare industry is growing day by day, a positive, as it has greatly increased efficiency. However, the increasing use of software has also made the industry a target for cyberattacks, which poses a huge threat to healthcare providers.
For instance, clinics and hospitals may be forced to cancel appointments, postpone surgeries, and even send ambulances to other facilities to avoid putting patients at risk. In most cases, attackers encrypt information then threaten to release it if the ransom isn’t paid.
An analyst of cyber security threats at Vercara, Richard Wallace, reveals that in the last twelve months, almost 400 healthcare institutions have been affected by ransomware. He expects that the sector may see these threats increase in 2025, with attackers becoming more sophisticated and using better techniques that make it harder for security teams to detect them.
The increased use of connected devices like patient monitors, insulin pumps and pacemakers has enabled remote monitoring and helped improve patient care. However, it has also increased targeting of these devices and related software by attackers.
Director of the Cyber Fusion Center at MorganFranklin Consulting, Shane Cox, explains that these devices transmit and store sensitive patient information, as well as control important equipment and systems, which gives malicious actors leverage when it comes to their demands. These opportunities for exploitation, he adds, may be linked to weak authorization and authentication mechanisms, a lack of proper encryption, and lags in effective regulatory requirements for this industry.
He then notes that the attackers may remain motivated to exploit any weaknesses in these systems given the chances that healthcare providers will pay to restore any important operations. In addition to ransoms, facilities also incur substantial costs associated with data restoration, system recovery, and regulatory fines.
Given that the nature of sensitive data that the industry handles, B2B software developers need to understand how to mitigate these threats to prevent any disruptions and strengthen the industry’s cybersecurity posture. Developers can also build more secure and resilient solutions by prioritizing security at each stage of the software development lifecycle.
This may be done by observing secure coding standards, carrying out penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in software, solving any issues that arise and also scanning code regularly for weaknesses.
Facilities may also benefit from enhanced DNS solutions and access controls to counteract malicious attacks. Additionally, facilities need to improve visibility across the endpoints, devices, partners, and networks to keep up with more attacks.
Healthcare institutions can learn valuable data protection lessons from entities like HealthLynked Corp. (OTCQB: HLYK) that focus on health data storage and use in order to improve patient care.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to HealthLynked Corp. (OTCQB: HLYK) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/HLYK
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
Reliance on technology in the healthcare industry is growing day by day, a positive, as it has greatly increased efficiency. However, the increasing use of software has also made the industry a target for cyberattacks, which poses a huge threat to healthcare providers.
For instance, clinics and hospitals may be forced to cancel appointments, postpone surgeries, and even send ambulances to other facilities to avoid putting patients at risk. In most cases, attackers encrypt information then threaten to release it if the ransom isn’t paid.
An analyst of cyber security threats at Vercara, Richard Wallace, reveals that in the last twelve months, almost 400 healthcare institutions have been affected by ransomware. He expects that the sector may see these threats increase in 2025, with attackers becoming more sophisticated and using better techniques that make it harder for security teams to detect them.
The increased use of connected devices like patient monitors, insulin pumps and pacemakers has enabled remote monitoring and helped improve patient care. However, it has also increased targeting of these devices and related software by attackers.
Director of the Cyber Fusion Center at MorganFranklin Consulting, Shane Cox, explains that these devices transmit and store sensitive patient information, as well as control important equipment and systems, which gives malicious actors leverage when it comes to their demands. These opportunities for exploitation, he adds, may be linked to weak authorization and authentication mechanisms, a lack of proper encryption, and lags in effective regulatory requirements for this industry.
He then notes that the attackers may remain motivated to exploit any weaknesses in these systems given the chances that healthcare providers will pay to restore any important operations. In addition to ransoms, facilities also incur substantial costs associated with data restoration, system recovery, and regulatory fines.
Given that the nature of sensitive data that the industry handles, B2B software developers need to understand how to mitigate these threats to prevent any disruptions and strengthen the industry’s cybersecurity posture. Developers can also build more secure and resilient solutions by prioritizing security at each stage of the software development lifecycle.
This may be done by observing secure coding standards, carrying out penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in software, solving any issues that arise and also scanning code regularly for weaknesses.
Facilities may also benefit from enhanced DNS solutions and access controls to counteract malicious attacks. Additionally, facilities need to improve visibility across the endpoints, devices, partners, and networks to keep up with more attacks.
Healthcare institutions can learn valuable data protection lessons from entities like HealthLynked Corp. (OTCQB: HLYK) that focus on health data storage and use in order to improve patient care.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to HealthLynked Corp. (OTCQB: HLYK) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/HLYK
Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the BioMedWire website applicable to all content provided by BMW, wherever published or re-published: http://BMW.fm/Disclaimer
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