Protecting Healthcare Data & Why it's so Important

While data security has become an increasingly important factor in several businesses, it has also affected some areas that we often forget. One such area is the healthcare industry. In 2015 there were some cyber attacks on the healthcare industry, yet in addition to this, there are also standard everyday practices that make this industry at risk for an attack.

Last year, Blue Cross Blue Shield announced that it was the victim of a targeted cyber attack that affected 11 million customers. This came in the wake of Anthem, another health insurer that was attacked where over 78 million customers were attacked. Breached information from healthcare industries can be more valuable on the black market because not only does your medical record have your social security number, but also your medical history, diagnoses, physical markers, treatments and more. Data in healthcare & the security of it should be a top priority.

One of the common risks that put healthcare industries at risk for a cyber attack is the fact that there are so many mobile devices that are being used in hospitals by doctors, nurses, specialists, clinicians, staff as well as patients. When there is wifi that is being accessed by all these people as well, it makes it a high target for cyber attackers. One of the ways to stay safe is by encrypting the mobile devices that are used by doctors and other members of the staff. To do this, companies can use network access control solutions. NAC solutions offer the ability to identify each user and connected device as well as to scan these connected devices for threats. These threats include anti-spyware protection including out of date anti-virus protections. Using embedded devices is also important to make tracking, managing, and monitoring of connected devices easier.