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The healthcare industry is consistently vulnerable to data breaches that cost companies millions yearly. Healthcare players and patients accessing telehealth treatments must improve their security posture to limit data breaches.
FREMONT, CA: Emerging trends in cyber breaches makes it essential for the healthcare industry to strengthen its cybersecurity measures. An IBM research found that the healthcare industry experiences the highest average cost of data breaches, with costs amounting to USD 9.23 million in 2021.
Telehealth and mHealth solutions are increasingly gaining popularity after the pandemic, where patients prefer online platforms to access diagnostic plans and seek medical assistance. Yet, these platforms offer patients and associated healthcare units greater threats to data breaches.
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Telehealth solutions provide users with a wide range of benefits, but users and healthcare institutions must manage cyber security vulnerabilities to leverage their benefits.
Decentralization: Online access to doctors and treatments decentralizes the hospital network. The number of endpoint devices is increasing as telehealth applications connect the healthcare center's cloud infrastructure with patient devices. Cyber attackers have more networks and connections to infiltrate data systems. Patients who access hospital resources with their own devices offer potential threats, while the hospital has limited visibility to secure all devices and connections.
Healthcare providers: The healthcare industry needs to improve its threat detection and data security measures by placing effective infrastructural security strategies. Effective security strategies include healthcare personnel undertaking regular cyber security practices to limit phishing attacks and malware. IT Teams and those accessing hospital data need to establish better visibility, good cyber hygiene, asset management, and solid remediation plans for when potential threats emerge.
Medical device manufacturers: Healthcare providers must provide their patients with secured medical devices that have a better chance of managing data protection and threat mitigation. Most devices in the market are produced to boost sales and therefore do not necessarily include any integrated security infrastructure. Insecure devices open the wearer and hospital to security vulnerabilities through the internet of things (IoT) connectivity giving them access to the network, and potentially gaining access to highly sensitive medical information.
Patients: Patients access telehealth services more often as their popularity is increasing globally, and therefore patients need to practice better security measures to protect their data and connections. Users must be more aware of security measures like multifactor authentication (MFA).
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