One of the most important components of modern healthcare is confidentiality. With many companies moving towards electronic health records, it's now easier than ever to share important health information among providers. However, it's also easy for non-providers to gain illegal access to records. In addition to HIPAA violations, these infringements on privacy can also lead to disastrous consequences, such as identity theft.
Understanding the requirements of modern cybersecurity in the electronic health record era is imperative for healthcare providers to establish the best care and the best privacy practices for patients with minimal danger. By being aware of the following potential threats, healthcare administrators can take the necessary steps to ensure their practice is as secure as possible.
Encryption Blind Spots
Encrypting online data efficiently is one of the best ways to meet HIPAA requirements and to ensure that sensitive data stays secure with minimal chances of data leaks. Encrypted networks, which are meant to be extra secure and to encrypt not only data but all associated online traffic, are increasingly becoming more popular.
However, encryption can sometimes make it easier for hackers to infiltrate a network's security. According to Gerry Grealish, writing for Health IT & CIO Review, "Encryption makes it even more difficult for security analytics tools to monitor and detect breaches and targeted attacks." This means that hospitals and other medical practices should add additional layers of security outside of encryption to monitor encrypted traffic and to prevent blind spots, where hackers can exploit the encryption network.
As more industries employ encryption, blind spots will become bigger cybersecurity issues, especially when sensitive information is at stake. Healthcare administrators must be aware of these little-known but massively catastrophic weaknesses to ensure their patient's privacy is well-protected and that the overall network operates as securely as possible.
Malware
Malware is a general term used to describe a number of threats, ranging from spyware to adware to viruses. It can be picked up from many different websites, many of which are everyday use sites. No longer is malware found just on unsafe or suspicious websites. Therefore, being aware of these types of security breaches is very important, especially on shared computers. According to Norton Antivirus, "Malware creation is on the rise due to the sheer volume of new types created daily and the lure of money that can be made through organized Internet crime."
Depending on the type, malware will be able to pull information from the sites that users are looking at, including, in some cases, medical information from electronic health records. Of particular concern is a type of malware called ransomware. This locks down a system or a certain user until a specified monetary amount is paid. While rarer than many other types of malware, ransomware is expected to increase as more companies move sensitive, pertinent information to an electronic storage. According to Trend Micro, "More modern ransomware families, collectively categorized as crypto-ransomware, encrypt certain file types on infected systems and forces users to pay the ransom through certain online payment methods to get a decrypt key."
Malware may also lead to dramatic slowdowns in computer processing time. This can hold up and cause serious problems in a clinical environment where timely access to information can be key in providing the best possible care. In a worst-case situation, such malware may even crash the entire system. If all the health records are in an electronic storage, this means the practice will not be able to access patient information. In addition, it may become corrupted, depending on the electronic storage system in place.
An easy way to avoid malware is to limit the activities that can be executed on shared workplace computers and to limit user permissions. This keeps employees from accessing websites that can include malware, and it also limits things that can be downloaded. A good way to prevent malware overall is to invest in an effective virus software. Many offer free versions, but it's a worthwhile investment to look into a paid version with more capabilities.
Phishing
Phishing is not a new security threat, but with the increased prevalence of electronic medical records, password security is more important than ever. Phishing schemes can be extremely clever and may disguise themselves as official emails or alerts that prompt users to divulge private information, such as passwords or codes, to access sensitive information. As Gerry Grealish notes in Health IT & CIO Review, "Doctors should always closely evaluate any requests that come in for file sharing, ensuring it's a real request from a verified healthcare professional before sending anything, since hackers are getting extremely creative and more convincing every day."
Being extra cautious about phishing scams is especially important for practices that run off cloud servers, which are accessed via a password. Cloud servers are a great way to acquire additional space and to make data more easily accessible for professionals. However, a well-placed phishing scam can lead to disastrous data leaks. In 2017, such leaks exposed more than 3.16 million patient records, according to Jessica Davis of Health IT News.
Phishing can be prevented with a two-step or more authentication, which requires additional measures before access permission is granted, often via another electronic device such as a phone or a tablet. In addition, if the practice employs items such as tablets and phones, fingerprint authentication can be employed. If needed, IT professionals can be consulted to ensure the validity of requests.
Understanding cybersecurity requirements for electronic health records is just one of the many essential skills that a master's in healthcare administration online can provide to students. Healthcare administrators are a vital part of the healthcare system, and having the education to fill the position confidently and effectively not only improves job outcomes but overall career satisfaction. The University of Southern California Executive Master of Health Administration online can help you start your career with the necessary skills to exceed in a healthcare administration role. Visit the program website today to learn more!
Sources:
https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware.html
https://healthitsecurity.com/news/preparing-for-the-2017-healthcare-cybersecurity-threats
https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/ransomware
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/insiders-hackers-causing-bulk-2017-healthcare-data-breaches