According to HealthcareITNews, it’s not as easy as just pressing a button. But partnering with other organizations on risk analysis, testing, incident response, and activity monitoring can help better position providers for data security in the year ahead.
the healthcare industry was riddled with cybersecurity issues in 2016 as ransomware, human error, IoT flaws and hacking attempts were some of the biggest problem areas.
The good news is that it appears the industry is taking notice and attempting to secure its vulnerabilities. The bad news? There is still a long way to go to protect valuable patient data and keep it out of cybercriminals’ hands.
We spoke with four security experts: ESET Security Researcher Lysa Myers; CynergisTek co-founder and CEO Mac McMillan; ICIT Senior Fellow James Scott; and Pam Hepp, shareholder, healthcare practice at Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney.
Here’s what they said organizations need to be doing this year to reduce their vulnerabilities:
1. Risk assessments. “Most organizations have limited funding,” Myers said. “Risk assessments help identify what really needs to be protected, and how to get the best bang for the buck for your security budget.” Further, clear documentation can help security teams plead the case for funding. Hepp added organizations should make recommendations based on assessments to address vulnerabilities.
2. Disaster recovery and contingency plans. An effective plan addresses not only access to medical and billing records, but contingencies for email, departments reliant upon the network and departments with high-tech equipment like, lab, pharmacy or imaging services, Hepp said. McMillan explained practicing the plan is crucial: “Involve staff, not just IT or managers in exercises, consider worst case scenarios for loss of power, communications, network and others to ensure staff can actually do their job without the system.”
Click the link below to see the remaining 8 top cyber security must haves of 2017 are:
Healthcare IT News – Top 10 cybersecurity must-haves for 2017