The healthcare industry poses a unique set of challenges when it comes to its cybersecurity framework. Hospitals, doctors’ offices, and local clinics are all home to vast amounts of sensitive patient and employee data. Hospitals alone store about 50 petabytes of sensitive data every year. In order to operate seamlessly and provide the best care possible, these healthcare havens need to ensure that their IT stack is robust. Cyber threats are rampant and have the potential to jeopardize patient privacy and safety, while also disrupting healthcare services to those in need and compromising the organizational integrity of the healthcare facility.
Due to the high volume of valuable data stored on their networks, the healthcare industry is a ripe target for cyber criminals, with 725 data breaches reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in 2023. Of those breaches, more than 133 million records were exposed or impermissibly disclosed. From medical records, billing details, and personally identifiable information (PII), cyber criminals could get their hands on a whole host of sensitive, valuable information. The consequences of a successful attack can be far-reaching, including identity theft, insurance fraud, and even threats to patient care through compromised medical devices and systems.
According to a 2024 Gartner report, 43% of healthcare CIOs reported that cybersecurity tools remain one of the top technology investment priorities – remaining unchanged over 2023.
Regulatory frameworks such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) impose stringent requirements on healthcare providers to safeguard patient data, underscoring the legal and ethical obligations to maintain robust cybersecurity measures. The evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, from ransomware attacks to vulnerabilities in interconnected medical devices, underscores the need for proactive strategies and innovative solutions to mitigate risks effectively.
Below are the top five ways in which healthcare organizations can better bolster their cybersecurity posture:
- Establish and Maintain a Formal Security Program
Establishing and maintaining a formal security program for your organization entails implementing robust cybersecurity measures, conducting regular risk assessments, and educating doctors, nurses, and other staff on cybersecurity best practices. A strong cybersecurity program is important due to the significant risks posed by cyber threats, including data breaches, ransomware attacks, and potential disruptions to patient care. Compliance with regulations like HIPAA further stresses the importance of a structured cybersecurity framework to ensure legal adherence and maintain patient trust. Investing in cybersecurity will allow healthcare providers to protect patient confidentiality and safety while fortifying their resilience against continuous threats.
- Ongoing Validation
Ongoing validation using an “attacker’s point of view” is essential for healthcare organizations to continuously assess and improve their defenses against evolving threats. Regular validation ensures that the proper security controls effectively and routinely protect sensitive patient data and critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks. Ongoing validation allows healthcare organizations to maintain compliance with regulatory standards such as HIPAA and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), helping them to avoid costly penalties and ensuring patient trust. Proactive validation also improves overall operational resilience, reduces the likelihood of data breaches, and creates the ability to respond swiftly to cyber incidents. Prioritizing ongoing validation of cybersecurity measures is critical for ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of life-saving healthcare services.
- Third-party Risk Evaluation
Third-party risk evaluation is crucial for mitigating vulnerabilities and ensuring the security of sensitive patient data. Healthcare organizations rely on various third-party vendors for different IT services and solutions, ranging from cloud storage to medical devices. Continuously assessing these vendors can help identify security gaps and potential compliance issues that could jeopardize patient privacy and operational continuity. Implementing rigorous evaluations and monitoring mechanisms can allow healthcare providers to proactively manage IT risks, comply with regulatory standards, and maintain
trust among patients.
- Continual Improvement
Continuous improvement of cybersecurity measures is needed to effectively adapt to evolving cyber threats and protect sensitive patient information. As technology continues to advance and cybercriminal tactics become more sophisticated, it’s imperative to have an agile security stack. Prioritizing continual improvement will allow healthcare organizations to demonstrate their commitment to staying ahead of potential threats. Regular updates to security protocols, ongoing training for staff, and proactive monitoring of IT systems can ensure a proactive defense against data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cyber threats that could disrupt operations and compromise patient safety.
- Outsourcing Options
Outsourcing IT services is an ideal solution for healthcare organizations seeking to optimize operations, enhance cybersecurity, and focus resources on core healthcare delivery. By outsourcing IT functions to a managed service provider (MSP), healthcare organizations can leverage expertise and advanced technologies that may not be feasible to maintain with an expensive in-house team. MSPs include tailored expert services to help healthcare organizations build out robust cybersecurity measures, such as continuous monitoring, threat detection, disaster relief services, and incident response capabilities. Outsourcing also allows healthcare providers to stay on top of regulatory requirements, like HIPAA, while mitigating risks associated with managing complex IT infrastructure internally. Entrusting IT functions to external experts will allow healthcare organizations to better streamline operations, improve efficiency, and maintain a secure, resilient IT stack essential for delivering high-quality patient care.
Knowing that your patient and employee data is secure can give organizations the confidence to deliver the best healthcare without the worry of an interruption of services. Mitigating risk and having a tailored cybersecurity plan will help ensure that patient experience is the priority – not an outdated IT infrastructure.
About Kevin Landt
Kevin Landt is VP of Product for Cybersecurity Solutions at Thrive, where he brings over 20 years of technology experience to helping mid-size organizations manage their security risk. He was previously VP of Product Management at Cygilant (acquired by SilverSky Security) and held product leadership roles at Opsgenie (now part of Atlassian), Relativity, the market leader in eDiscovery, and Kanguru Solutions, an encryption and mobile device management provider. Kevin has a BS in Computer Systems Engineering from Boston University and earned his MBA at Babson College.
