How the Healthcare Industry Can Mitigate Data Leaks via Improved Cybersecurity
Cyber Security
Things are not looking too positive for cyber safety in the healthcare industry, with its cybersecurity status granted only a B+ rating for the first half of 2024 by SecurityScorecard. There have been major breaches already this year, with the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare potentially affecting one in three Americans. The SecurityScorecard report, which examined the security levels of the top 500 publicly traded healthcare companies in the US, indicates that a similar attack on one organization has the potential to impact the entire healthcare system. While a B rating may not seem all bad, it is important to note that companies with this score are almost three times more likely to be victims of data breaches than those with an A rating.
The Main Problems for Data Privacy
The biggest area of weakness for healthcare companies is application security. Around 48% of companies assessed had their lowest ratings in this aspect. Application security covers multiple techniques covering software applications, including vulnerability assessments, coding practices, and security testing. Just a few threats to applications include unauthorized access, data breaches, API vulnerabilities, and malware. To identify, prevent, and respond to security breaches, healthcare companies need to improve the processes of authentication, access controls. Encryption, auditing, and vulnerability management.
The GPT Era
AI has transformed into a revolutionary force in healthcare, promising to reshape healthcare as we know it. Currently, machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and computer vision are just a few AI tools that enable companies to analyze large datasets, unveil intricate patterns, and formulate actionable insights in real time. The risks posed by ChatGPT in healthcare, however, are significant. GPT requires access to voluminous amounts of patient data for analysis, making this data an objective for cyberattackers. The latter can also manipulate the training data used to develop AI models, causing the latter to make wrong conclusions or predictions. This, in turn, could result in faulty diagnoses and erroneous treatment recommendations. A third, substantial threat is posed by supply chain vulnerabilities. Healthcare companies deal with numerous third-party suppliers, and if the latter have weak security systems in place, it can expose the healthcare supply chain to attacks.
How to Mitigate Risks
To mitigate the risks posed by GT, healthcare companies must include cybersecurity as a key pillar of their AI integration strategies. Steps to take include providing employee training, and investing in scheduled security audits, data encryption, access controls, and a deep assessment of the cybersecurity systems used by third-party vendors. SecurityScorecard also recommends that companies explain to patients why third-party vendors are used since patients are generally unaware of the amount of data that is actually shared with these parties. Of all sectors, one of the most vulnerable is that of medical device manufacturers and vendors. These demand greater security control from third-party risk management/vendor risk management teams.
Because of the vast amount of data stored by healthcare companies, obtaining an A rating when it comes to cybersecurity. Applications, third-party vendors, and GPT are all current weaknesses. By taking steps to identify, prevent, and predict security issues, companies can go a long way toward garnering more trust from patients.
