Every industry out there is subject to cybercrime, including the healthcare industry. Unfortunately, the nature of these attacks always changes, and the pandemic has made these attacks much more frequent. While professionals do understand the need for cybersecurity and its importance, it is sad to say that the implementation of countermeasures for these risks has not been sufficient. Now, those who have not prepared are paying a hefty price.
The rise of cyber-attacks during the pandemic
With the pandemic rampaging throughout the world, many healthcare firms are implementing new technologies to fight and slow down the virus’s spread. However, this presents new digital security concerns that healthcare professionals may not have been aware of. This has contributed to a significant rise in cyber attacks, specifically from ransomware.
In many cases, healthcare companies have to pay the ransom since they cannot afford the consequences of not doing so. Add to that the increase of technologies to work remotely and continue offering timely services, and it comes as no surprise that such attacks are becoming more commonplace. As such, facing these digital threats must start right away. Otherwise, a healthcare firm may compromise its services and even the practice as a whole.
One of the most important aspects to keep an eye on is the telehealth department. This is because, with telehealth, there are a lot of things that can be open to risk, such as a user logging in. Even the vendors that help facilitate telehealth may not be using the best security practices, compromising the whole network.
Other factors, like applications hurriedly made to address the pandemic, can also be lined with vulnerabilities. 5G is also a new introduction to the healthcare industry, and more and more medical equipment now relies on such networks to function and share data. Unfortunately, this also means that cybercriminals have more possible entry points to infiltrate a network, making cybersecurity even more of a concern.
Another cause of concern is the healthcare industry’s reliance on the internet, more so cloud infrastructure. Cloud providers are among the biggest targets for cybercriminals, mainly due to the fact that they house a lot of client data. While cloud providers have implemented strong security practices to keep their networks safe, this does not mean that all the risks are eliminated.
Cyber-attacks will always evolve, and the only way cloud providers can ensure security is to stay ahead of criminals. As for healthcare firms, spending time looking for reliable cloud providers is a must to ensure their data is not compromised and that their practice is safe from any attacks.
Conclusion
The threat of COVID-19 and cyber-attacks leaves healthcare firms continually fighting to survive. Unfortunately, the focus of many practices is on the pandemic rather than these cyber threats. This can present many security concerns that can compromise an entire healthcare company, impairing their ability to tackle the pandemic and offer their services.
As such, any and every practice must focus on cybersecurity. By reinforcing their networks and keeping data safe, they can go about addressing the pandemic without the need to worry about cyber-attacks.
Dose of Healthcare is a platform that offers healthcare-related content to keep healthcare professionals in the know. For more healthcare news, check out our other articles!
