Cookies help us display personalized product recommendations and ensure you have great shopping experience.

By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    data analytics and truck accident claims
    How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for interior designers
    Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
    8 Min Read
    image fx (67)
    Improving LinkedIn Ad Strategies with Data Analytics
    9 Min Read
    big data and remote work
    Data Helps Speech-Language Pathologists Deliver Better Results
    6 Min Read
    data driven insights
    How Data-Driven Insights Are Addressing Gaps in Patient Communication and Equity
    8 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Device Attacks, Network Scanning Compromise Healthcare Data
Share
Notification
Font ResizerAa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > IT > Security > Device Attacks, Network Scanning Compromise Healthcare Data
Big DataSecurity

Device Attacks, Network Scanning Compromise Healthcare Data

Larry Alton
Larry Alton
5 Min Read
Device Attacks, Network Scanning Compromise Healthcare Data
SHARE

In the past decade, healthcare has gone truly high tech. Whether it’s electronic health records (EHR), more precise CT and MRI machines, or just the main hospital server, greater digitization comes with its own risks. Add to that the legal ramifications of healthcare data leaks and hospitals are dealing with a crisis of epidemic proportions as they try to protect patient data.

Contents
The Fight Against RansomwareProtecting Your Patients

The Fight Against Ransomware

Ransomware is one of the greatest threats to overall data security today, with an average of 4,000 ransomware attacks daily. But why target medical data? The primary reason is that medical files typically contain everything needed to steal someone’s identity and because medical systems can easily be coerced into paying for a resolution.

When the Eerie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York was hit by a ransomware attack in April 2017, for example, they received a note demanding that the hospital “must send us 1.7 BitCoin for each affected PC OR 24 BitCoins to receive ALL Private Keys for ALL affected PC’s,” equal to about $44,000. What could they do? The hospital, a level 1 trauma center, couldn’t access its EHRs, email, or website. Ultimately it took millions of dollars and six weeks for the hospital to set everything right.

Other common points of entry in the healthcare system include MRI and CT machines – essentially any diagnostic tool or machine that is hooked up to the internet. With these machines, hackers target device infrastructure, which means they can do everything from access files through the internet connection to modify images or manipulate radiation levels. When it comes to hacking medical devices, the risk isn’t just one of security; security breaches threaten patients lives.

More Read

The dictatorship of the analysts
Flash Vulnerabilities & Exploits: An Information Security Primer
eBay’s Data Breach Exposes 145 Million User Records
Proven VPN Protocols to Safeguard Your Data
Data Security Standards Are Evolving in Response to Rising Threats

Protecting Your Patients

In order to protect patient records and their very health, hospital systems need to take aggressive steps to improve system security. That starts with a strong firewall.

Many devices lack sufficient processing power for next generation firewall (NGFW) and other advanced security strategies, making it hard to fully secure them. One way to strengthen your security is by allowing an overcapacity hospital firewall to burst to the cloud, rather than directly upgrading it. Depending on your system’s needs, you can scale your firewall using a regional security hub – allowing you to keep current appliances like that pricy MRI machine, or by using firewall bursting, which leverages cloud-based firewall to increase your system’s available power. Which you choose depends on your current system components, traffic, and overall architecture.

Hospital systems should also be more aggressive when working with vendors to be certain devices like MRI and CT machines are secure. These diagnostic machines are part of the IoT and they need to be managed in the same fashion as small-scale devices using encryption, two-factor authentication, and other security features.

Finally, though increased digitization and use of IoT increases medical precision overall, hospitals should consider where digitization is to the patient’s benefit and where it poses too great a risk. EHRs, for example, help maintain continuity of care and simplify record transmission between providers, but is it really to the patient’s advantage if their IV line is part of the IoT if that means risking an overdose? Requiring a live operator for sensitive functions like administering medications is a simple, low-tech way to protect patient health in this brave new world of technology.

At its core, medicine is a high-risk enterprise and that means providers should always be aware of the worst-case scenario, whether that’s data theft or diagnostic manipulation. Your patients’ lives hang in the balance. In 2018, digital security is part of your motto to “first, do no harm.”

TAGGED:device attackshealthcare dataransomware
Share This Article
Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn
Share
ByLarry Alton
Follow:
Larry is an independent business consultant specializing in tech, social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
AI Document Verification for Legal Firms: Importance & Top Tools
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive
AI supply chain
AI Tools Are Strengthening Global Supply Chains
Artificial Intelligence Exclusive
data analytics and truck accident claims
How Data Analytics Reduces Truck Accidents and Speeds Up Claims
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
predictive analytics for interior designers
Interior Designers Boost Profits with Predictive Analytics
Analytics Exclusive Predictive Analytics

Stay Connected

1.2kFollowersLike
33.7kFollowersFollow
222FollowersPin

You Might also Like

data collection in healthcare
Data Collection

The Role and Importance of Data Collection in Healthcare

9 Min Read
dreamstime l 204902773
Artificial IntelligenceExclusiveITSecurity

10 Tips to Fight Against AI-Driven Ransomware Attacks

10 Min Read
GDPR and security
Best PracticesBig DataData ManagementExclusiveInternet of ThingsPolicy and GovernancePrivacySecurity

GDPR Fines, Ransomware, and Cybersecurity: What You Need To Know

9 Min Read
hospital management systems
Big DataExclusive

Is Big Data Transforming Our Broken Hospital Management Systems?

5 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence
data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-25 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?