Half of the cyber attacks target the healthcare industry, mainly because it works with private and sensitive information of patients, such as social security numbers, dates of births, billing or health insurance information. Hospitals, medical offices or insurance companies are investing consistently in cyber security because it is a top priority across the industry.

What are the medical field’s vulnerabilities?

Here are the main reasons that make the medical field more vulnerable and “appealing” to cyber attacks:

• There are few people that do not see healthcare providers, thus almost everyone’s personal information is at risk.
• Electronic health records of the patients are stored and then shared among physicians, other healthcare professionals and insurance companies. If one breach occurs, there is a high risk that both local and shared data is under threat across all these providers.
• Employees’ personal information, working in the field, is also under threat when a cyber attack targets their workplace.
• Medical providers also work with valuable financial or business related information.

The attackers’ goal may be to collect information for their personal use or to sell it to other criminals. They could illegally set doctor appointments, solicit prescription of drugs, or make claims to healthcare providers under different patients’ names.

Why should you care about cyber security?

As a healthcare provider, you should start investing in cyber security as you are responsible to:

• Protect patient and employee personal data;
• Comply with the privacy and security rules outlined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws;
• Use reliable and secure storage and backup data solutions and networking systems;
• Train your staff on issues related to data protection and cyber security;
• Maintain your reputation in the medical industry.

What are the cyber security services you need?

Endpoint cyber security. IT experts can secure your PCs, tablets, any devices that store or access information about patients, employees or your company.
Network cyber security. Add multiple layers of security on your company’s devices and between your network and other networks of different healthcare professionals, providers or insurance companies.
Data privacy cyber security. Develop secure processes and use reliable systems to store, transfer or backup sensitive information. Make sure you comply with all the security and privacy rules included in state or federal policies.
Human factor cyber security. Empower your employees to avoid security pitfalls and to follow the security procedures you have in place.

Contact us today to assess the needs of your business and protect it from any cyber attacks.