Top Five 2019 Healthcare Cybersecurity Trends

Introduction

As many people already know, one of the best ways to stay on top in your industry is to be up-to-date with all industry knowledge and learn about the threats, developments, and advancements in technology within your industry. For the healthcare industry, this can mean so many things, from healthcare marketing to cybersecurity. In this article, we focus on what it takes to stay on-trend regarding healthcare cybersecurity and what steps your organization can implement to improve your healthcare cybersecurity. 

Top Five Trends

Cybersecurity in healthcare remains a growing threat that if you don’t actively combat, you or your organization will suffer as a result. Protecting the information of your employees, business, and patients should be the primary priority of anyone in charge of information for the healthcare business. Failing to do so can certainly leave the door open for you to be exposed to all kinds of liability and other issues that would best be avoided. 

Here are some of the most widespread threats posed by cybercriminals and how they plan to take advantage of individuals in the healthcare industry this year. 

Ransomware

It has now been over two decades since the first ransomware attack, but these types of attacks remain as prevalent as ever. As a very juicy target for those who would launch cyber attacks, you need to ensure that you and your data are safeguarded from data breaches posed by ransomware and other harmful software. One way to address this problem is to use antivirus software. 

These ransomware attacks only figure to be more aggressive in the future as healthcare becomes an increasingly valuable target for these attacks. The best way to deal with these is to use prevention measures and make sure that you are prepared for them. 

IoT Attacks

In recent years, the healthcare industry has benefited massively from technological advancements and improvements in the software and equipment used in healthcare. These advancements have had a massively sizeable positive impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare industry, but they don’t come without their downfalls. 

As we develop more advanced equipment that integrates with other smart stuff, we also open ourselves to more and more risk. What was once a breach of one device may now have to be treated as a breach of the entire network since most devices in the modern era are connected one way or another? 

The connectivity of devices on the same universal network is often known as the Internet of Things. It is one of the most innovative parts of modern technology, but it also leaves those unprepared susceptible to attack not only one but multiple devices. 

Foreign Attacks

While other countries worldwide have been catching up little by little when it comes to technology, the United States remains one of the most innovative and advanced countries in the world. We also have one of the wealthiest middle classes in the world, whose information is precious. 

These factors, in combination, create the perfect situation to make the United States and its consumers a valuable target that many countries around the world find desirable. As such, many attacks are coming from overseas to steal our information, trade secrets, and personal identifying information.

Any organization that recognizes this threat and attempts to curtail it through innovative preventative measures will be ahead of the curve and much better equipped to deal with the growing foreign cybersecurity threat. 

AI-Based Threats

As we create more and more technology that resembles the intelligence of a human being, we put ourselves at more of a risk. This technology is now open-source, and many people and companies are using it for various applications. Unfortunately, one of these applications is attacks on organizations and people. 

The healthcare industry needs to make sure that it is equipped to successfully handle attacks conducted by machines (artificial intelligence) to protect consumer and business information successfully. 

Adware

Using adware is one of the most common ways that websites and individuals collect and use data. Using adware, an individual can collect your data and then either exploit it for illegal purposes or sell it to others.  Criminals can use it to send you unsolicited emails, try to sell you items, or mislead you into giving them your personal information like usernames, passwords, and payment information. 

The best way to avoid this is by educating staff and ensuring that computers are not used on unsafe websites. As hackers adjust and find new ways to gather information, it becomes more necessary to keep combat strategies up-to-date. 

Conclusion

To effectively stave off the threat of cybersecurity attacks and ensure that your organization doesn’t fall victim to a mass breach, it’s essential to know what kind of attacks are on the rise. Now that you know what kind of attacks are being used more commonly in this modern setting, you can more effectively combat them and prepare for them to protect you, your business’s assets, and your customers’ information.