How To Protect Your Healthcare Institutions Against Cyber Attacks

Healthcare has become a top priority due to the pandemic and with so many wheels turning to keep up with demands several things fall through the cracks and one of them being cyber security.

Healthcare cyber attack breaches and leaks not only hurt the institutions financially but also hurt its patients for the rest of their lives. Therefore, everyone needs to do their part and take the necessary precautions and try to keep ahead of threats. Here are some simple cyber security measures you can take.

Vulnerability Management

Hackers love to find exploits and unpatched vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure they are attacking so they can ensure the success of their attempt. You will need to make sure that all the security patches and device firmware are updated regularly. Overlooking even a small vulnerability in your healthcare’s IT security can have severe ramifications. Conducting periodic Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing can significantly assist you in keeping your IT infrastructure free from any weaknesses and minimizing the risk of cyber attack breach.

 

Cyber Security Awareness

This day in age we cannot forgo educating staff about cyber security risks. If every individual is vigilant enough, it will be difficult for the hackers to find an opening for an attack. Healthcare Organizations can use innovative and cost effective cyber security awareness tools to train and test employees in the art of avoiding cyber attacks.

 

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

The Implementation of MFA on all your endpoints across the network is an effective way to get rid of some of the most disastrous vulnerabilities. Microsoft stated in a report that enabling MFA can block over 99.9% of all automated account compromise attacks. With billions of stolen credentials for sale, it has become extremely important to adopt MFA as a basic security protocol. This applies not just to the healthcare industry but everywhere.

 

Backup And Disaster Recovery

The best way to minimize the damage caused by a cyber attack where hackers pushed ransomware is to have properly deployed backups, in the cloud and offline storage. If you are unable to prevent a cyber attack from hitting its mark, it is essential to have a plan. The next best course of action is to ensure that you have a reliable backup and restoration option.

 

Cyber security for Healthcare organizations do not just end here however it is definitely a start. Healthcare organizations need to abide by HIPAA Standards and you can use this document HIPAA compliance checklist to see what you have missed.

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