GET PROTECTED WITH ECF MANAGED HEALTHCARE IT SERVICES | ECF Data 
                     13 CYBER SECURITY THREATS 
THAT COULD JEOPARDIZE 
YOUR PATIENT DATA 
AND HOW TO DEFEND YOUR 
HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION 
Beware! A staggering 382 million+ healthcare records have been laid bare 
since 2009, all thanks to sinister data breaches. These cyber bandits have 
countless ways to ransack your business and snatch precious information. 
Fret not - a reliable managed IT fortress can hold them off! 
Discover the 13 predatory tricks up their sleeves and master 
the art of foiling their attacks.
1. PHISHING ATTACKS. THREAT ID: The most standard SYMPTOM: Once in your system, 
yet effective way for cyber a virus delivered by email will 
attackers to infiltrate your replicate itself and spread to 
business is through malicious other computers on the network. 
emails and websites. Look out Look out for a system crash, 
for emails that contain gibberish unwanted pop-ups, or monetary 
or have unknown senders. theft.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender combined with ECF 
Microsoft 365 Assessment & Remediation, with training services.
2. DENIAL OF SERVICE THREAT ID: A DoS attack floods SYMPTOM: DoS attacks bar 
(DoS) ATTACKS your servers with requests in access to critical services such 
order to freeze your business as bed capacity, data sharing,  
operations. Worse still, and appointment scheduling 
Distributed Denial of Service services, which can jeopardize 
(DDoS) attacks use multiple patient care, hospital safety, and 
systems to target your network. incur legal fines and loss of trust 
among your consumers.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Azure DDoS Protection, Azure 
Application Gateway & Web Application Firewall combined with ECF 
Managed Security Services. 
3. ATTACKS AGAINST                  THREAT ID: From the smallest This increases vulnerability and 
INDUSTRIAL CONTROLS, phone to the largest server, no positions these devices for
attacks.
EQUIPMENT, & IoT DEVICES device is safe from an attack in today’s world. IoT devices such as SYMPTOM: Once an IoT device 
bedside monitors, implanted has been infiltrated, hackers can 
medical devices, and smart door carry out phishing, ransomware, 
locks can exchange data with and DoS attacks.
other systems over the internet. 
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender for IoT combined with ECF 
Managed Security Services. 
4. UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THREAT ID:  In 2022, over 7 data theft by malicious insiders. 
COMPANY PCs, NETWORKS, million records were SYMPTOM: Unauthorized access 
compromised in unauthorized 
OR MOBILE DEVICES breaches can lead to revenue access data breaches. These loss, legal fees, and delays in 
range from errors by employees, patient care. 
negligence, snooping, and 
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender & Intune solutions 
combined with ECF Microsoft 365 Assessment & Remediation with
Managed Security Services. 
5. THEFT OF PASSWORDS THREAT ID: Over 80% of SYMPTOM: Password theft can 
data breaches are due to jeopardize medical records, 
compromised passwords, and patient history, test results, and 
password sharing is common other confidential patient and 
among hospital staff. Weak financial data.
password policies expose 
patient information.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Purview combined with ECF Protect 
& Govern Sensitive Data Assessment & Remediation with Managed 
Security Services.
6. STAFF IMPERSONATION THREAT ID: Impersonation takes SYMPTOM: Impersonation can 
place when someone lies about lead to stolen equipment or 
their qualifications or identity to medications, data leaks, forgery, 
attempt to gain access to data, and heavy fines.
prescription drugs, or other 
sensitive information.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender for IoT combined with ECF 
Managed Security Services. 
7. PHYSICAL BREAK-IN THREAT ID: We talk a lot about SYMPTOM: Physical break-ins 
digital security, but what about can lead to permanent 
physical break-ins? These can be equipment damage, theft of 
just as detrimental to the safety prescriptions and computer 
of your patients, staff, and hardware, as well as jeopardize 
organization. the safety of everyone in the 
facility. 
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Azure Sentinel combined with ECF 
Defend Against Threats with SIEM Plus XDR Assessment & Remediation 
with Managed Security Services.
8. UNAUTHORIZED THREAT ID: Hackers are often SYMPTOM: Data breaches can 
NETWORK ACCESS the first thing that comes to lead to a loss of patient trust in 
mind when we think of security your organization, legal fees, and 
risks. They are the main cause of permanent loss of data. 
healthcare data breaches, 
according to the HIPAA Journal.  
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft inbuilt strong password & MFA 
combined with ECF Microsoft Identity Assessment & Remediation with 
Managed Security Services. 
9. THEFT OR LOSS OF THREAT ID: It’s easy to misplace SYMPTOM: A lost or stolen 
SMARTPHONES, PCs, OR your personal and work devices. healthcare device places 
But when devices like tablets sensitive medical information 
TABLETS and PCs store patient data, right into the hands of someone 
misplacing one shifts from not authorized to access it. 
disruptive to downright 
dangerous.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Intune combined with ECF Managed 
Security Services.
10. THEFT OF CUSTOMERS’ THREAT ID: When facilities SYMPTOM: When a patient 
PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL collect a patient’s financial data, loses access to their financial 
it can put them at risk for theft information, it is costly for them 
INFORMATION of health insurance cards, billing and the facility. Patients may not 
statements, and other financial know they were a victim of 
documents. financial fraud until it’s too late.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Purview combined with ECF Protect 
& Govern Sensitive Data Assessment & Remediation with Managed 
Security Services.
11. RANSOMWARE THREAT ID: Ransomware SYMPTOM: These attacks delay 
attacks occur when a hacker patient treatments, bar access 
locks healthcare professionals to files and test results, can lead 
out of their systems until they to a permanent loss of business 
make payments. In 2020, critical data, and damage your 
ransomware attacks cost US organization’s reputation.
healthcare organizations $20.8 
billion.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender, Azure Sentinel, Purview, 
Intune, & MFA combined with ECF Protect & Govern Sensitive Data 
Assessment & Remediation with Managed Security Services.
12. THEFT OF CRITICAL THREAT ID: From finance, to SYMPTOM: A permanent loss of 
BUSINESS DATA operations, to human business-critical data can lead to 
resources, your business data is a decrease in productivity, loss 
just as important as patient data. of trust, roadblocks in workflow, 
and threaten your organization’s 
viability.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Defender, Azure Sentinel, Purview, 
Intune, & MFA combined with ECF Protect & Govern Sensitive Data 
Assessment & Remediation with Managed Security Services.
13. NO IT SECURITY THREAT ID: An absence of a SYMPTOM: Just like our health, a 
RELATED EVENTS IN THE security-related incident may robust security system requires 
seem like a success, but it could 
LAST YEAR regular checkups and proactive suggest that you aren’t detecting planning. A security approach 
threats. Healthcare data breaches that isn’t catching hacking 
happen every day and are on the attempts isn’t properly prepared 
rise, with almost two data to remediate successful attacks. 
breaches reported daily in 2022.
RECOMMENDED SOLUTION: Microsoft Azure Sentinel combined with ECF 
Defend Against Threats with SIEM Plus XDR Assessment & Remediation 
with Managed Security Services.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THESE 13 THREATS 
BECOME YOUR REALITY:  
GET PROTECTED WITH 
ECF MANAGED HEALTHCARE 
IT SERVICES
A healthy security system needs more than a yearly exam. ECF will ensure 
your security is at the top of its game every day of the year. Our agile, 
efficient, and experienced IT professionals help remove the burden of 
around-the-clock cybersecurity monitoring from your organization’s already 
taxed internal IT staff. 
AS AN EXTENSION OF YOUR TEAM, OUR PROVEN TRACK RECORD SPEAKS 
WE’LL HELP: FOR ITSELF: 
• Detect and respond to threats on your behalf • Microsoft Security certification, including       
• Implement cost-effective technology to         facility authorization 
reduce enterprise-wide risk • 1 of 12 Hybrid Managed Partners selected for 
• Employ the full potential of Microsoft Azure Microsoft’s Black Partner Growth Initiative           
and the Microsoft 365 stack program 
• 7 Microsoft Certified security professionals on 
staff 
STAY AHEAD OF HACKERS 
THAT THREATEN YOUR 
HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION. 
[email protected]
ECFDATA.COM/HEALTHCARE-IT-SERVICES