2024-01-17 13:03:25
Currently, one of the sectors most susceptible to cyber threats is healthcare. Hospitals, clinics, medical service providers and healthcare systems have become common targets in this growing wave of cyber attacks. This sector faces a series of risks that make it particularly vulnerable and expose it to significant threats.
Digital modernization in the healthcare sector, while essential, is often carried out on limited budgets and under conditions of urgency. This situation has given rise to a worrying scenario: the healthcare sector has seen a shocking 650% increase in the cyberattacks suffered in the last year, according to Tehtris reports.
Spain has witnessed recent incidents that highlight the urgency of addressing cybersecurity in the healthcare field. He cyber attack on the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona is an example of the threats that threaten these vitally important institutions. Globally, in 2021, the United States experienced a significant increase in healthcare-related data breaches, with more than 40 million patient records compromised.
This upward trend in cyber vulnerability in the healthcare sector raises a number of risks that are essential to address to protect patient privacy and ensure uninterrupted medical care.
Cybersecurity health risks
- Hyperconnectivity. A growing challenge for system security. With the advancement of technology in healthcare, the proliferation of connected devices for various medical tests poses significant cybersecurity risks.
- Supply chain. The supply chain involves online interactions with multiple suppliers and business partners. Every online connection point represents a potential vulnerability if not properly secured. Attackers may attempt to enter through these weak points to access internal systems.
- Lack of cybersecurity culture in employees: Many employees and users are not used to practicing cybersecurity in their daily routine. This can lead to insecure actions, such as clicking on malicious links or using weak passwords. It is essential to foster a safety culture in organizations through training and awareness.
- Value of medical data. Because medical data is personal and highly sensitive, it is valuable on the black market and can be stolen for sale or extortion.
- Systems vulnerabilities. Healthcare systems continue to face critical vulnerabilities that expose them to cyber attacks. A study conducted by ENISA revealed that healthcare organizations have reported the highest number of security incidents related to vulnerabilities in software or hardware, with a surprising 80% of respondents stating that vulnerabilities have been the cause of more than 61% of their security incidents. In many cases, these vulnerabilities occurred due to a lack of updates to computer systems.
- Medical devices users: Internet-connected medical devices, such as pacemakers or insulin pumps, can be targets for cyberattacks if they are not adequately protected.
- Data leak: In recent years, with the advancement of technology and increased flow of information, numerous incidents of data breaches have been recorded in testing systems and laboratories. These incidents were primarily attributed to poor internal security practices, including incorrect configurations.
- Limited Features: Many hospitals or medical centers have limited cybersecurity budgets, which can make it difficult to implement effective protection measures.
- Regulatory Compliance Challenges: Hospitals must comply with strict data privacy regulations, and security breaches can result in financial penalties
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