Today, healthcare providers almost universally store patients' protected health information in the form of electronic health records (EHRs) and other digital data. This modernization has reaped great productivity benefits—but it has also put the healthcare sector in the crosshairs of cyberattackers, and the protection of sensitive patient information has never been more critical.
Market Research Future projects that the global healthcare cybersecurity market is on track to reach a staggering $38.2 billion by 2032, underscoring the growing push to safeguard medical data.
So what do you need to know about the fundamentals of healthcare data security? In this guide, we'll explore common threats to valuable patient information and proven strategies to protect your patients and your business.
Healthcare data security encompasses measures designed to prevent unauthorized access, corruption, and theft of sensitive medical information. There are three key elements to comprehensive healthcare data security:
Patient data security: This crucial aspect involves protecting the confidentiality of patient records and related personal information. It ensures that private details, such as medical histories, diagnoses, and treatment plans, remain secure from unauthorized access.
Medical data security: This facet of healthcare data security is dedicated to safeguarding diagnostic details, laboratory results, and other clinical data. It also extends to the protection of unstructured data, including radiology images and information collected at post-acute care facilities.
Healthcare data protection: This overarching term refers to the comprehensive measures taken to ensure that EHRs and other health information remain private and uncompromised throughout their entire lifecycle.
By implementing stringent security measures, healthcare organizations can foster patient trust, safeguard their reputation, and maintain compliance with rigorous regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
Robust data security measures are also crucial for preventing costly data breaches and service disruptions that can have severe consequences for patient care and a healthcare organization's financial stability.
Recent proposed changes to HIPAA regulations aim to bolster patient privacy protections and enhance care coordination. Healthcare providers must remain well-informed about these evolving requirements to maintain ongoing compliance and ensure the security of sensitive patient data.
The healthcare industry faces a wide range of cybersecurity threats, some of which pose more significant risks than others.
Ransomware attacks: Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts critical systems or databases, preventing care providers from accessing vital patient information. The attackers hold this data hostage until they receive payment from the victims, usually in the form of cryptocurrency. The consequences can be severe, including compromised patient care, treatment delays, operational downtime, and substantial financial losses.
The healthcare sector is particularly vulnerable to these attacks because the critical nature of patient data and the potential impact on human lives raise the stakes and increases victim's willingness to pay a ransom.
Phishing and social engineering: These types of attacks are based on human error: cybercriminals send fake emails purporting to be from corporate IT or a financial institution to obtain login credentials, or attach documents infected with malware to innocent-seeming emails in the hopes that users will click on them so they can spread within healthcare systems. These attacks highlight the importance of ongoing staff training and vigilance in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.
Insider threats: This category encompasses both malicious actors within an organization and well-intentioned employees who accidentally expose data. To mitigate these risks, healthcare providers must implement robust monitoring systems, conduct regular audits, and enforce strict role-based access controls.
Legacy systems and weak network security: Many healthcare organizations continue to rely on outdated infrastructure that lacks modern security patches. These legacy systems create vulnerabilities that enable unauthorized access or data theft. Moreover, outdated systems often have slow recovery times, rely on tape or other obsolete storage media, and make it challenging to search for specific data. The labor-intensive nature of managing legacy technology also increases the risk of errors and significantly slows down data recovery processes.
Data breaches in the healthcare industry can have severe and far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the immediate financial and operational damage. When sensitive patient information is compromised, healthcare providers face a multitude of challenges that can have long-term effects on their ability to deliver quality care and maintain patient trust.
Impact on patient care: Data breaches can lead to significant operational disruptions: when critical systems are compromised, healthcare providers may struggle to maintain continuity of care, resulting in potential harm to patients.
Erosion of patient trust and reputational damage: When patients' sensitive information is exposed, they may become hesitant to share crucial details about their health, fearing that their privacy will be violated again. This reluctance can impede effective treatment and strain the provider-patient relationship. Moreover, the negative publicity surrounding a data breach can have long-lasting effects on an organization's reputation, leading to a loss of patients and revenue.
Compliance and regulatory consequences: Healthcare organizations are subject to HIPAA and other stringent regulations that govern the protection of patient data. When a healthcare organization's data is breached, that's often taken as evidence that they failed to adequately protect their tech infrastructure to the extent required by these regulations. Thus, a successful cyberattack exposes healthcare providers to heightened scrutiny from government agencies, and can ultimately trigger audits, penalties, and ongoing compliance challenges that drain resources and hinder an organization's ability to focus on patient care.
Financial repercussions: The financial impact of a data breach can be substantial for healthcare organizations. There are of course direct costs associated with incident response, including legal fees and regulatory fines.
To mitigate the risks associated with data breaches and protect sensitive patient information, healthcare organizations must implement a comprehensive set of best security practices. These strategies should focus on preventing unauthorized access, ensuring data redundancy, and maintaining a strong security posture:
Implement robust access controls: Healthcare organizations should implement role-based permissions and multi-factor authentication to restrict unauthorized access to sensitive data. They should also consistently monitor and report on user activity to help detect and respond to potential threats quickly, minimizing the impact of breaches.
Regularly back up healthcare data: Healthcare organizations should maintain offsite or cloud-based backups to ensure data redundancy and enable rapid restoration in case of a breach or system failure. This is particularly important to combat ransomware attacks, which encrypt victims' own data and block access to it. Cloud-based backup solutions offer scalability and enhanced security features, making them an attractive option for healthcare providers looking to protect patient data effectively.
Adopt healthcare DSPM: Healthcare organizations should consider implementing data security posture management (DSPM) solutions to gain real-time insights into their risk and compliance posture. DSPM tools proactively identify gaps in the protection of sensitive healthcare data, allowing for timely remediation and reducing the likelihood of a breach. By adopting a proactive approach to data security, healthcare providers can demonstrate their commitment to patient privacy and maintain the trust of those they serve.
Secure on-premise storage: Healthcare organizations need to safeguard their Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems against unauthorized access and data tampering. They must implement a rigorous patch management process to ensure that those systems are updated with the latest security fixes so as to mitigate the risks associated with known vulnerabilities.
Encrypt data at rest and in transit: For transmitting and storing sensitive data, healthcare organizations should eschew the use of plaintext formats, which are susceptible to interception and compromise. Instead, they should deploy robust encryption algorithms to protect data stored on local systems, and leverage secure communication protocols such as HTTPS, VPN, and SFTP when transmitting sensitive healthcare information across networks.
Continuous employee training: Healthcare organizations should implement a comprehensive security awareness program that includes regular training sessions on identifying and responding to phishing attempts and other social engineering techniques. They should also establish and enforce stringent security policies, mandating the use of strong, unique passwords and adherence to email best practices, fostering a culture of security vigilance among healthcare staff.
By adopting these best practices and maintaining a proactive stance in the face of evolving cyber threats, healthcare organizations can substantially fortify their data security posture, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive patient information.
If you want to know more about implementing comprehensive data security solutions in healthcare, check out NIST's Health Care and Public Health Sector Cybersecurity Framework Implementation Guide. You might also want to learn more about Rubrik's healthcare industry solutions, or contact Rubrik's sales team for assistance with crafting a comprehensive data security strategy.