Cybersecurity is a risk factor for healthcare organizations across the globe, approximately costing the healthcare industry $5.6 billion dollars every year. Even worse, cyber attacks in healthcare are becoming increasingly difficult to track and prevent. As organizations try to protect their patient information, acquainting staff with the threats that put data at risk is the first step in advancing the cybersecurity at your healthcare organization.
Many common threats that the healthcare industry face include:
- Malware and Ransomware: Malware and ransomware can shut down devices, servers, or even entire networks.
- Cloud Attacks: Health information that’s stored on the cloud without proper encryption can be a weak spot for the security of healthcare organizations.
- Phishing: Emails sent from seemingly reputable sources actually deceive readers by asking for sensitive information. Don’t share valuable information across emails!
- Blind Spots in Encryption: Encryption is critical for protecting health data, but it can also create blind spots where hackers hide from the tools meant to detect breaches.
- Employee Fault: Employees may increase your healthcare organization’s chance of a cybersecurity attack with weak passwords, unencrypted devices, and other failures to comply with proper security measures.
Improve your healthcare’s cybersecurity with the following tips:
- Create a Culture of Security/Safety: Provide your employees with training and education that prioritizes protecting patient data, delivering the latest information on how to remain safe online to your staff.
- Implement Firewalls: You should always have firewalls in place on any device that’s connected to the internet.
- Install Anti-Virus Software: Installing anti-virus software, and consistently updating it is essential for keeping your healthcare system protected.
- Backup Data: Regularly backup data and files for data restoration.
- Control User Access: You should know who has access to protected information. Only give access to those who need to view or access the data.
- Change Passwords: You should have guidelines in place for strong passwords, but you should also ensure your employees regularly change their passwords.
Additional resources for healthcare organizations can be found at healthit.gov
At MCN Healthcare, we prioritize helping organizations achieve compliance with solutions that help keep your whole staff on the same page. Alert your organization to changes in regulation, manage documents and contracts, create new policies, and enhance staff training/education with our suite of solutions designed for healthcare professionals. Learn more about how our solutions can help you make a difference in patient safety.
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