On November 23rd of last year, the country’s major medical institution, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (AIIMS), was crippled by a massive cyberattack. Most of its servers failed, as did the National Information Center (NIC) maintained hospital network. All functions, including emergency, ambulatory, inpatient, and testing areas, had to be switched to manual management. Can we learn anything from this incident? A lot! Let us get into more detail.
What Causes Cyber Attacks on Medical Facilities?
While no digital industry is vulnerable to cyber attacks, medical facilities like AIIMS are common targets. PromanSecuritech found some of the reasons for this below.
- Patient personal data is worth a lot of money to attackers
Hospitals store vast amounts of patient data. The industry is becoming more and more targeted because sensitive data worth paying big bucks for hackers can be quickly sold. These organizations need to protect patient records. Crime syndicates recognize that these institutions rely on digital systems to optimally manage their medical operations and store and process large amounts of patient data, including reports. This situation raises both security and privacy issues.
2. Employees need to access data remotely, increasing the attack surface
Collaboration is essential in the healthcare industry as entities work together to provide the best solution for each patient. People who need access to information are only sometimes at their desks. They often work remotely from different devices.
Connecting remotely to a network of new devices can be risky because not all devices are secure. Additionally, healthcare professionals must become more familiar with even the most basic cyber security best practices.
3. Healthcare workers are not educated about online risks
Medical professionals lack the necessary expertise to detect and defend against online threats. Due to budget, resource, and time constraints, all healthcare professionals cannot master cybersecurity best practices.
4. Outdated Technology Means the Healthcare Industry Is Unprepared For Attacks
Due to the tremendous advances in medical technology in recent years, all aspects of the healthcare industry need to catch up. Limited budgets and a lack of learning about new systems often mean medical technology is outdated.
The role of cybersecurity and how to improve it
With increasing cyber threats and economic impact on the healthcare industry, cybersecurity plays a vital role in protecting PII, PHI, and other critical data. Additionally, cybersecurity must adhere to HIPAA compliance guidelines and security standards. To improve cybersecurity, Proman Securitech suggests organizations follow practices in their best security audits.
- Secure communication
Communication between devices and services must be secure and prevent unauthorized access and modification.
2. Privacy
To prevent data breach attacks, secure data storage and encryption.
3. Authentication and Authorization
A strong password policy should include a robust and secure authentication process. Useful for restricting access without proper authentication and authorization.
4. Device and service updates/maintenance
Fixing vulnerabilities requires updating systems and services.
5. Employee Safety Training
Train all the staff members responsible for protecting patient data.
Wrapping it up
This situation is a wake-up call for all sectors of the country to enhance their cyber security. Protection from digital threats varies across different industries. The employees of Proman Securitech can help you make protection strategies and train your staff to deal with any possible phishing, malware, or ransomware.