What Are the Most Common Cyber Attacks in Healthcare?
Cyberattacks are one of the biggest threats facing healthcare organisations today. With a growing number of threats, including ransomware and other sophisticated attacks, it's important to be aware of the latest risks facing your organisation. Here are some of the most common cyberattacks in healthcare:
Malware
Malware is a type of software that can infect your computer. This can be done by clicking on links in an email, or by downloading software from untrusted sources. Malware can steal personal information, or it can even take control of your system and install other malicious programs onto it. If you think you have malware on your computer, there are steps you can take to remove it.
Social Engineering
Social engineering is a psychological manipulation of people by criminals to gain access to confidential information. It's a common form of hacking, and while it can be used in any setting, it's particularly effective when targeting healthcare organisations because they're often slow to update their security protocols due to budget constraints or other obstacles. In addition, healthcare workers are more likely than other industries' employees to take action without thinking things through or looking into suspicious activity they see on their computers.
Scams
You may receive emails that appear to be from a legitimate source, but in reality, they're not. These phishing emails can ask for your personal information, payment information, or even a wire transfer. Phishing scams are often made to look like an official email sent from a healthcare organisation or government agency. They might also ask you to call them through what appears to be their phone number with an extension number attached. Sometimes these scams will ask you to log into your account on Facebook or Twitter via the link provided in the email; this is also known as social engineering because it's used against people's natural curiosity and desire to share information online—even though it could put them at risk for identity theft!
Insider Threats
Insider threats are a major concern for healthcare and cyber security. Insider threats can be accidental, such as an employee accidentally deleting files from the network, or deliberate, such as a disgruntled employee accessing sensitive information and then leaking it to others.
How can insider threats be prevented? Education and training are key factors in ensuring your organisation's security measures are effective against insider threats. For example, if an employee is aware of the importance of HIPAA compliance and understands how to protect patient information when using electronic devices outside of work hours or on vacation, he or she will be less likely to accidentally commit an error that could compromise sensitive data.
If you want your employees' training programs to truly protect against insider threats like those described above (as well as others), it's important that they include monitoring—especially when it comes time for staff members who have recently been hired or promoted into new positions with more advanced levels of access than before!
Mobile Risks
- Mobile devices are more vulnerable to attack than computers.
- Malware can be installed on a mobile device by visiting a website, downloading an app, or connecting to a public Wi-Fi network.
- Mobile devices are more susceptible to social engineering attacks because it’s easy for hackers to trick people into revealing their passwords or other sensitive information through phishing emails or text messages.
Healthcare professionals and executives need to be aware of the threat landscape
- Cyberattacks are on the rise. In fact, it's estimated that cybercrime costs the healthcare industry $6 billion annually. As technology advances, so do cyberattacks and methods of attack.
- Healthcare is a target because it is vulnerable. The healthcare industry has been slow to adopt cybersecurity measures due to its reliance on outdated systems, high cost of recovery from security breaches and lack of knowledge about how to protect themselves from attacks.
- Healthcare is a target because of the value of the data contained in electronic health records (EHRs). Compromised EHRs can have serious consequences for patients: identity theft; loss or alteration of medical records; compromised treatment plans; inappropriate prescription drug use; misdiagnosis by doctors who have incomplete information about a patient's history or current state (such as pregnancy); even death from preventable complications such as infection following surgery or medication errors resulting from incorrect drug dosages based on inaccurate information contained within an EHR system that was hacked into during an attack against another healthcare organisation using similar software systems but not updated with adequate security measures yet installed at all locations where these types exist globally!
