In a recent study into the impacts of cyber threats on the healthcare industry, it was found that there has been – concerningly – a 78% rise in cyber attacks on American healthcare organizations. With this increasing and worrying risk of sensitive patient data being compromised by cybercriminals, healthcare organizations must do more to protect the cybersecurity of their digital networks.
Stay with us as we discuss tactics to tackle the cybersecurity threats the healthcare industry is currently challenged with.
Install Network Security and Anti-virus Protection Software
A key element in ensuring that a healthcare organization’s digital networks are secure is to install network protection in the form of cybersecurity software.
Some examples of this type of software include:
Network Security Software
Focused predominantly on protecting a digital network’s infrastructure – physical elements such as routers, servers, and switches – the most common types of network security software that can be installed are:
- Firewalls.
- Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS).
Anti-Virus Protection
Another method to protect healthcare organizations from cyberattacks? Installing anti-virus programs to secure electronic devices such as laptops, smartphones, and desktop monitors.
In addition to installing anti-virus software, healthcare organizations can also implement a two-factor authentication system for employees requiring access to the network, as well as utilizing secure password encryption.
Reduce the Number of Network Users with Access to Sensitive Data
By employing an attitude of ‘zero trust’, healthcare organizations can better protect sensitive data by reducing access privileges to certain parts of the organization’s digital network. Healthcare leaders should consider network access privileges on a ‘need to know’ basis and strictly limit the number of employees who can access confidential information.
Why is this effective? This method ensures that sensitive data is limited to a small, trusted pool of staff. It also minimizes the risk of cybercriminals being able to hack in. How? Limiting employee access reduces the number of network touchpoints a hacker can attempt to infiltrate.
Cultivate a Culture of Vigilance Among Healthcare Staff
Suppose you’re a licensed nursing practitioner (NP) who has studied to complete a post masters NP program. Yes, you may be well-versed in the requirements of your role as a healthcare professional. But, network and cybersecurity may not necessarily be on your radar.
For this reason, healthcare leaders must educate their staff on the threat of cyberattacks. To do this, a culture of vigilance must be cultivated among employees. Teaching and training healthcare staff to look out for these telling signs of cybercrime is essential:
Phishing Scams
Phishing scams targeting employee email accounts are rife. Healthcare staff must be trained to be on the lookout for telltale signs of scams – such as, for example, email address domains that do not line up with the person or organization the scammer is pretending to be. Other red flags? Typos in the email text, frequent grammatical errors, and also, links to fake landing pages.
Ransomware and Malware
What is ransomware? It’s a type of malicious software – or ‘malware’, for short – that aims to infiltrate and take over an online user’s digital account. Worryingly, being infiltrated by ransomware can be difficult to avoid. Cybercriminals, hackers, and scammers will often utilize sophisticated malware programs – such as trojan horses, worms, and other viruses – to gain unauthorized access to user accounts.
So, how can healthcare workers protect themselves against this type of cyber threat? They need to be armed with the know-how to avoid dodgy websites that may have malware installed, and also, ensure that they keep their anti-virus protection software up to date at all times.
To combat the rising threat of cyberattacks, there are certain tactics healthcare organizations must employ to protect their digital networks from scammers.
Conclusion
As discussed today, some of these strategies include bolstering the organization’s network security with anti-virus and anti-malware programs, as well as clamping down on employee access privileges to sensitive and confidential data, and just as importantly, cultivating a culture of staff vigilance and attentiveness to the warning signs of scams.
By ensuring staff are savvy to certain cyber threats of phishing, scamming, and ransomware, as well as employing the network security strategies we have outlined today, healthcare organizations can be better armed to combat cybercrime.
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