Don’t Be the Victim of a Healthcare Cyberattack

In the post-COVID world, many healthcare organizations have ramped up their telehealth services and use of electronic medical records (EMRs). Unfortunately, this adoption has been accompanied by a dramatic rise in healthcare cyber risks and cyberattacks. With cybersecurity being more critical than ever, organizations must take steps to safeguard patient information and their information systems.

In this article, we explore some alarming healthcare cyberattack statistics and the most common ways hackers invade cyber systems. We also discuss how to prevent cyberattacks in healthcare, including incorporating compliance software.

Healthcare Cyberattack Statistics

According to the FBI, in 2023, 249 cyberattacks (ransomware attacks) in the U.S. targeted healthcare, the highest number of any industry. By July of 2024, the number of attacks had already reached 280. From January 2020 through April 2020, cyberattacks on McAfee cloud accounts rose by 630%. The increase in cyberattacks, much of it due to adoption of telehealth services and EMR use, has affected millions of people and untold amounts of protected health information (PHI). 

Why do healthcare cyberattack statistics reflect such a stark contrast when compared to figures for other industries? According to the American Hospital Association, health records are especially vulnerable because of the volumes of information they contain. Furthermore, much of this information includes Social Security numbers and other financial data, making it attractive to criminals.

Healthcare Cyberattacks in Many Forms

A person employing a cyberattack targets a computer or entire information system to harm the network or steal, destroy, or alter data. While the common purpose is to access PHI, healthcare cyberattacks take many forms:

• Malware: The “mal” in malware refers to malicious intent. Malware infects a computer to alter its functioning, disrupt network traffic, or destroy data. Malware can even spread from one computer to several others.
• DoS and DDoS: A denial-of-service (DoS) attack overcomes a digital system and renders it unable to fulfill service or product requests. Similarly, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack uses many malware-infected machines to drain a system, preventing the victim from the ability to service patients or clients.
• Insider threat: Employees and other people within an organization with extensive knowledge of the system can inflict damage, gain unauthorized access, and make changes to security.
• Password attack: The attacker uses one or more methods to figure out a password to break into the system.
• Phishing: An individual sends a malicious email that appears to come from a trusted source. When the victim opens the email, it invades their computer and network and “fishes” for sensitive information.
• Ransomware: This system is akin to holding a victim hostage until someone pays a ransom. With ransomware, the attacker takes the computer system hostage. The victim must pay money to receive instructions for regaining control of the computer.
• Spoofing: The attacker calls the target, often using a fake caller ID. They pretend to be from a legitimate entity to get the target to reveal PHI or sensitive information.
• Trojan horse: This method uses malware embedded inside a legitimate program (the Trojan horse). When the victim uses the program, the malware “escapes” the Trojan horse and attacks the victim’s computer and system.

How to Prevent Cyberattacks in Healthcare

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other regulations require healthcare organizations, including those that accept Medicare funding, to protect their PHI and computer systems from malicious attacks and data breaches. To comply with these rules, here are steps you should take to safeguard the integrity of your information system:

• Implement clear policies and procedures for carrying out HIPAA and other requirements.
• Use encryption to make PHI unreadable to unauthorized users. You can incorporate encryption in cloud storage and virtual private networks (VPNs).
• Establish access controls, such as passwords, to limit who can see or use sensitive data.
• Use audit controls to track logins. Audit controls document which employees are accessing your network and sensitive information. Audit controls can alert you to the possibility of sensitive data being used for unauthorized purposes.  
• Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA), which adds several layers to the login process. MFA requires users to provide a PIN, answer a security question, or acknowledge their identity from a secure linked device, in addition to inputting a username and password.  
• Provide annual training to employees on HIPAA and other regulatory requirements. With software from a healthcare compliance solution, you can also offer modules tailored for specific roles, continuing education (CE) credits, or certifications.

Compliance Software Helps Protect Against Cyberattacks

To meet the several cybersecurity measures required by law, you should strongly consider software that organizes and streamlines how you monitor all your cyber-related compliance activities. A comprehensive software package can also provide comprehensive employee training on cybersecurity measures, such as those required by HIPAA. A comprehensive software package can also provide training on other regulations.

Software from Compliancy Group gives you the tools to assess risks, identify signs of a data breach, enable anonymous incident reporting, and train your employees on best practices for how to prevent cyberattacks in healthcare. 

At Compliancy Group, we know the devastating effects a healthcare cyberattack can have. Contact us today to learn how to get support through our compliance software and other helpful resources.