The digital era that we live in has made sensitive medical data much more portable and easy to collect, but that can bring with it some major cybersecurity risks. Data breaches and other forms of cybercrime can devastate a healthcare business.
Maintaining strong cybersecurity is critical. You might not be a cybersecurity expert yourself, but you could outsource one. Outsourcing services enable you to use the experience of an expert while still saving money. Now more than ever, that could be just what you need.
Rising Cybercrime
The University of Maryland has found that hackers attack every thirty-nine seconds, an average of over two-thousand times a day. Additionally, according to Varonis, 64% of Americans have never checked to see if they have been impacted by a cyber attack, and 56% don’t know the steps that they would take in the event of one.
Cybercriminals are really taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, as they know that more people are going to be online. Many people are working from home in order to stop the spread of the virus, and their personal devices might have weaker security than company computers.
One way that cybercriminals are taking advantage of the situation is by tracking what we do online, for business or for recreation, and then exploiting any of our concerns about COVID-19. Any fears or health concerns that we have can become a business opportunity for them.
Last year, the healthcare industry had the highest costs of data breach, coming in at over $400 per record. More and more healthcare offices, hospitals, medical centers, and research centers are being targeted by cybercriminals looking for information and access to healthcare systems. Don’t let your business be one of them.
Telehealth Cybersecurity Risks
In response to this pandemic, many medical professionals have been working remotely by providing telemedicine services and consultations. This increases the risk of a cyber attack, as a home internet connection is often more insecure than a work network.
Additionally, there can be an increase in phishing emails, which employees might be more likely to open when they don’t have nearby coworkers to check with. Any weakness in a system, human or technical, provides an opening for cybercriminals.
In February 2020, there were thirty-nine healthcare data breaches of five-hundred or more records, and over a million records were breached in total. This shows a nearly 22% month-to-month increase in HIPAA violations.
In order to avoid this being an issue for your healthcare office, compliance with HIPAA is critical: for your digital security, patients’ loyalty, and business’ reputation.
Cyber Security Consultant
An outsourced cybersecurity consultant can offer comprehensive cybersecurity for your whole business. Consultants can help you to define how your healthcare office should secure the company’s people, the systems, data, and even equipment to ensure HIPAA compliance.
As we all adapt to new ways of doing things, outsourcing to a cybersecurity consultant could be the best way to keep your business safe by implementing safe remote-work resources and protecting patient information.