Protecting Your Healthcare Organization from Cyber Attacks and Threats
                     Protecting Your 
Healthcare 
Organization from 
Cyber Attacks and 
Threats
https://cybernewslive.com/
Summary: Healthcare professionals, navigating challenges in patient care amid strict data 
regulations and face heightened vulnerability to evolving cyber threats. The sector grapples with 
securing medical devices, addressing human behavior risks, and managing economic pressures 
within limited budgets. Medical device security is crucial due to rapid technology integration, 
emphasizing the need for operational integrity in devices like IoT, tablets, and smartphones. Human 
behavior’s trust factor exposes staff to social engineering, demanding and consistent security 
awareness training to counter phishing and ransomware risks. A comprehensive guide outlines ten 
cyber security best practices for healthcare CISOs and leaders, covering culture-building, employee 
monitoring, password reinforcement, risk assessments, network limits, software security, multi-
factor authentication, incident response planning, vendor oversight, and data encryption. Sustaining 
a resilient defence requires continual vigilance, ongoing training, and adaptability to emerging 
threats in the ever-evolving landscape of cyber security.
In a regular patient’s medical record at a healthcare organisation, you’d usually find details like the 
person’s full name, address, birthdate, phone number, email, Social Security (or similar) number, 
emergency contact info, health insurance details, and sometimes even credit card and bank account 
information. Stealing a healthcare record on the dark web can earn a cyber criminal about $1,000, a 
much higher value than the $5 paid for stolen credit card numbers. This high payout is why the 
healthcare industry has become a major target for cyber criminals. Cyber criminals don’t care about 
the size, location, or specific type of healthcare—they just want those healthcare records. The 
challenge is that nurses, doctors, and other medical staff are often too busy dealing with critical 
situations to notice a cyber attack or a device infected by malware. 
According to a Healthcare Business & Technology article from September 2019:
● There were over 2,500 reported cyber data breaches between 2009 and 2018.
● 62% of healthcare organisations had a breach in 12 months.
● The average cost of a data breach in a medical centre is $3.62 million.
In a 2022 Gone Phishing Tournament report, it was found that 33.3% of healthcare employees gave 
away their login credentials by filling out a form to claim a gift card. As we dig deeper into why cyber 
criminals value medical records and their importance, let’s look at healthcare providers’ significant 
cyber security challenges in safeguarding their patients’ sensitive information.
The Largest Cyber Security Challenges Facing Healthcare
Healthcare faces significant challenges in cyber security as organisations strive to provide advanced 
patient care, control costs, and comply with evolving regulations on electronic records, IT security, and 
data protection. Balancing the delivery of high-quality patient care with the demands of strict data 
regulations and IT security measures can strain healthcare resources, potentially heightening the 
vulnerability to cyber threats. Cyber criminals exploit the fact that healthcare professionals are now 
tasked with safeguarding data, a responsibility they may not be trained for and lack the time to handle.
In the battle against cyber threats and attacks, healthcare experts, security leaders, CISOs, and 
organisations encounter three key cyber security challenges:
Securing Medical Devices
With the rapid integration of new technologies, such as medical IoT, tablets, and smartphones, security 
leaders face challenges in ensuring the security of medical devices. In the healthcare sector, maintaining 
the operational status of medical devices is critical for patient care and, in some cases, life-saving 
interventions.
To enhance medical device security:
Ensure that all medical devices, networks, operating systems, tablets, and smartphones are equipped 
with the latest operating system and software versions.
Human Behavior
Human inclination towards trust and helping others makes them susceptible to social engineering, 
phishing, ransomware, and other cyber attacks. Implementing consistent security awareness 
training for all employees is crucial, using real-world scenarios to highlight security risks associated 
with emails, text messages, and phone calls. A comprehensive awareness program clarifies and 
communicates responsibilities in handling information and technology resources, fostering a 
collective understanding of each individual’s role in maintaining organisational security.
Economic Pressures
Healthcare institutions, including hospitals, research centres, and clinics, often operate under tight 
budgets, posing challenges in allocating resources to IT security and security awareness training. 
When addressing system issues, it’s vital to consider not only the cost of IT but also productivity 
costs, such as staff hours and backlogs resulting from the downtime of critical equipment like MRI 
machines.
To address economic pressures:
● Ensure that management and leaders comprehend the economic costs associated with cyber 
attacks and data breaches. 
● Emphasize how updated software and innovative security awareness training campaigns can 
mitigate these costs.
10 Best Practices for Cyber Security in Healthcare: 
A Guide for CISOs and Security Leaders
Securing healthcare data is paramount, and these ten cyber security best practices serve as a 
foundation for enhancing your organisation’s data security:
1. Foster a Cyber Secure Culture: Initiate regular and consistent security awareness training for all 
employees. Utilize interactive and engaging training sessions with real-world scenarios to instill 
behaviour changes and heighten cyber security consciousness.
2. Monitor Employee Awareness: Regularly assess employees’ knowledge of phishing and 
ransomware, ensuring their awareness remains current. Conduct phishing simulations to gauge 
retention rates and address vulnerabilities.
3. Reinforce Strong Password Practices: Remind employees to create and use robust passwords, 
particularly on mobile devices. Conduct training sessions, especially for organisations with bring-
your-own-device (BYOD) programs, emphasizing mobile device cyber security.
4. Conduct Regular Risk Assessments: Perform comprehensive risk assessments covering networks, 
technologies, software, applications, and employee practices. Identify vulnerabilities to implement 
timely patches, upgrades, and security awareness training.
5. Limit Network Access: Grant access to specific data only to individuals who require it. Ensure that 
authorized personnel possess advanced security awareness knowledge and undergo regular training 
on evolving cyber attack methods.
6. Maintain Software and System Security: Keep all applications, internal software, network tools, 
and operating systems up-to-date and secure. Utilize firewalls, white-listing applications, malware 
protection, and anti-spam software, and control both physical and virtual access.
7. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhance security by implementing multi-factor 
authentication for critical systems and data access. This additional layer of protection mitigates 
risks, preventing unauthorized access even if a password is compromised.
8. Develop an Incident Response Plan: Establish a detailed incident response plan outlining the 
steps to take in the event of a breach, cyber attack, or other security incidents. A well-prepared 
response plan is crucial for minimizing damage and ensuring a swift recovery.
9. Monitor Third-Party Vendors: Manage and monitor third-party vendors with access to your 
systems and data. Establish clear guidelines for their access and actively monitor their activities 
within your system to detect and address potential risks.
10. Encrypt Sensitive Data: Encrypt sensitive data during transit and at rest. Patient information, 
financial data, and other confidential details should remain unreadable in the event of unauthorized 
access, adding an extra layer of protection.
Conclusion
In the ever-changing world of cyber security, protecting healthcare businesses from cyber assaults and 
threats is a critical responsibility. The complex nature of the healthcare business, with its large 
reservoirs of sensitive data, necessitates a strong defence against malevolent actors seeking 
unauthorized access. Healthcare businesses may strengthen their digital defences by taking preemptive 
actions, implementing strict security standards, and fostering a cyber security awareness culture. 
Vigilance, regular training, and staying on top of developing threats are critical components in this 
continuing war. To summarize, the commitment to safeguarding healthcare information is more than 
just a technological necessity; it is a pledge to protect patient data, maintain confidence, and assure the 
continuity of quality healthcare services in an increasingly linked world.
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