THREATS TO HEALTHCARE SECURITY
The top three threats healthcare professionals should concern themselves with:
- Vulnerable Connected Devices
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
- Phishing Scams
1. With the increase in healthcare technology the number of connected devices is growing rapidly. Within the business framework this is a welcomed enhancement because it increases efficiency and effectiveness. From a security standpoint it increases the amount of end points available to criminal activity. Cyber criminals can exploit open ports and disrupt business practice or even steal vital information.
2. DDoS is aimed toward disrupting service by flooding access points with many unique IP addresses. Disrupting uptime can create havoc within a healthcare setting and deny healthcare professionals access to vital tools.
3. The final attack is through Phishing scams. 36 percent of security breaches within the US healthcare network were phishing scams. These attacks attempt to acquire sensitive information by pretending to be a trustworthy organization. “Employees, administrators and IT departments need to collaborate as a team to prevent such attacks and ensure that confidential patient information is protected.”
January 2017. Level 3 Communications. Retrieved from HealthIT Security.com
