Healthcare Industry Lacks Basic Security Knowhow

Levels of security awareness in Healthcare are lower than average and this sector is particularly vulnerable to social engineering style attacks. 

SecurityScorecard released a comprehensive analysis exposing cybersecurity vulnerabilities across 700 US healthcare organisations including medical treatment facilities, health insurance agencies and healthcare manufacturing companies. Security breaches in this industry pose devastating consequences because they can render an entire system or network inoperable, creating a life or death situation that needs immediate attention.

Among all industries, healthcare ranks 15th out of 18 in social engineering, suggesting a security awareness problem among healthcare professionals, putting millions of patients at risk. The current Verizon Data Breach Report ranks social engineering as the third most common cause for breaches.

“The low social engineering scores among a multitude of healthcare organizations show that security awareness and employee training are likely not sufficient,” said Alex Heid, Chief Research Officer at SecurityScorecard. “Security is only as strong as the weakest link, and employees are often the lowest-hanging fruit when it comes to phishing, spear-phishing, and other social engineering attacks. For a hacker, it only takes one piece of information such as learning the email structure of an organisation to exploit an employee into divulging sensitive information or providing an access point into that organisation’s network.”

Another risk is the array of devices with wireless capabilities such as IoT devices, wireless medical devices and tablets, which have paved the way for medical advances benefiting hospitals and patients. However, their speedy delivery and implementation has resulted in subpar security setups.

“As long as these IoT devices are manufactured with poor security standards, the vulnerability doesn’t only lie within the devices themselves, but they also pose a risk to any hospital, treatment center, or individual using the device. If a connected device is hacked into, the device can be forced to malfunction or it can be used as a pathway to reach an organisation’s primary network,” continued Mr. Heid.

HelpNetSecurity:        Overwhelming Cyber Attacks On Healthcare:
 

« New IoT Chips See, Think & Act Autonomously
Is The CIA Ready For Post-Election Chaos? »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Practice Labs

Practice Labs

Practice Labs is an IT competency hub, where live-lab environments give access to real equipment for hands-on practice of essential cybersecurity skills.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

Watch this webinar to hear security experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SANS break down the myths and realities of what an NGFW is, how to use one, and what it can do for your security posture.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

SecureNow Insurance Broker

SecureNow Insurance Broker

SecureNow is a commercial insurance broker based in India. Services offered include Cyber Risk insurance.

Experian

Experian

Experian provide software solutions to help organizations prevent identity fraud and crime.

Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT)

Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT)

ICIT is a leading cybersecurity think tank providing objective research, advisory, and education to legislative, commercial, and public-sector cybersecurity stakeholders.

Insta Group

Insta Group

Insta are a trusted cyber security partner for security-critical companies and organizations.

Tigerscheme

Tigerscheme

Tigerscheme is a certification scheme for information security specialists, backed by University standards and covering a wide range of expertise.

Preempt Security

Preempt Security

The Preempt Platform delivers adaptive threat prevention that continuously preempts threats based on identity, behavior and risk.

FifthDomain

FifthDomain

We are a specialist cyber security education and training company tackling the global cyber security skills shortage.

Upfort

Upfort

Upfort (formerly Paladin Cyber) unifies award-winning security and robust cyber insurance to deliver comprehensive cyber risk solutions.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL)

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL)

SEL specializes in creating digital products and systems that protect, control, and automate power systems around the world.

Adarma Security

Adarma Security

Adarma are specialists in threat management including SOC design, build & operation.

SHIELD

SHIELD

SHIELD are the world’s leading cybersecurity company specializing in cyber fraud and identity solutions.

NGN International

NGN International

NGN International is a full-fledged systems integrator and managed security services provider established in 2015 in Bahrain.

Cyber Defense Technologies (CDT)

Cyber Defense Technologies (CDT)

Cyber Defense Technologies provides services and turn-key solutions to secure and maintain the integrity of your organization’s systems and data against attacks.

CyberGate Technologies

CyberGate Technologies

CyberGate Technologies is a world-class, customer focus cyber security service and consultancy company operating the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Teleskope

Teleskope

Teleskope are on a mission to empower businesses to protect sensitive data by default.

Blue Mantis

Blue Mantis

Blue Mantis is a security-first, IT solutions and services provider with a 30+ year history of successfully helping clients achieve business modernization.