In many ways, healthcare is not parallel to other industries, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. Cases of the health data breach are increasing every day. Unfortunately, cybercriminals or hackers are becoming more refined in their tricks, and there is little you can do to prevent cyberattacks. Here are five surprising ways your health information can get compromised.
1. Using Obsolete Security Software
One of the most surprising ways of health data security breaches is the utilization of outdated security software and antivirus. The Healthcare sector loses around $8 billion annually due to the use of obsolete software.
However, the absence of current software is not limited only to security programs. Obsolete management software may leave vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can locate easily and exploit. For instance, a health center’s management system might get compromised and provide little or no control from a central location. Therefore, there is no way to manage all potential security threats.
This is why many hospitals seek cloud storage for their confidential data, to ensure all patient data is kept and managed in one place for maximum security. In general, the more complex the operations and data storage, the higher the risk of having the data compromised. Therefore, simplicity is frequently the best choice.
2. Exclusive Confidence in HIPAA Compliance
The HIPAA was made to guide data privacy. However, only following these requirements does not assure you that your information will remain confidential. You can see HIPAA compliance as the least you need to do to keep your patient data safe. Thus, it does not contain other measures to help strengthen the security of the data.
For instance, encryption is among the most efficient techniques for keeping data secure. However, HIPAA standards do not require encoding, so hospitals that rely exclusively on HIPAA guidelines are at danger of a cyber-attack.
It is advisable to go for the best radiology transcription service from a trusted company. They should have an online platform that is HIPAA compliant and allows you to access patient data anytime and from anywhere. Choose medical transcription services from a reliable company and enjoy guaranteed security.
3. Internal Factors
The health sector is unique in its main cause of information breaches: it is among the industries where internal actors represent the greatest threat to the corporation. Over 50% of data breaches in healthcare occur as a result of incidents involving employees leaking confidential information.
Data breaches are generally considered malicious; however, internal actors may also unintentionally cause an opening. It does not matter if the actor’s motives were harmless or malicious; mistakes can harm your organization, as can misuse cases.
Although cyber intuitive, cybersecurity can assist in preventing violations by insiders. A full cybersecurity strategy, which includes training and access restrictions for your personnel, is the perfect way to guard your organization. By educating your employees concerning the common cyber-attacks in your sector and how to prevent them, you can stop accidental breaches. Restricting your workers’ access to confidential information may also help thwart leaks since the malicious staff no longer have the channel to violate them easily.
4. Human Error
Another surprising cause of data breach is not a forgotten or an unknown security bug; it is a human mistake.
CompTIA study quoted by shrm.org states that human mistakes account for 52% of the root sources of security breaches. Some situations that may cause a data breach include:
- Usage of weak passwords
- Falling for spoofing scams
- Share account/password data
- Conveying confidential data to the wrong receivers
You can prevent most of these human mistakes by ensuring that workers are aware of their basic information security measures.
5. Physical Burglary of a Data Storage Device
Another way of a data breach is the physical burglary of a device that contains your company’s confidential information. They can be desktops, laptops, smartphones, hard drives, tablets, USB sticks, CDs and DVDs, or even the entire server.
The gravity of an information breach from an embezzled device depends mainly on the type of data stored on the machine. The most confidential information generally corresponds to a more serious data breach if the machine wasn’t erased. The critical solution is to reduce the possibility of removal of data storage devices from the workplace.
Conclusion
Finally, while there exist many different information breach threats, these are some of the most common or surprising ways in which health data could get compromised. It is essential to take all precautionary measures to ensure that your patients’ data is secure.
