Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Need of the Hour

Abstract

Data is said to be the new oil which has the highest value in the black market and the healthcare sector has the highest amount of data in the form of patient information. The healthcare sector is poor in securely managing the data and cyber attackers leverage on this information to steal the data through phishing, ransomware and other methods. Phishing is the most common cybercrime in healthcare. In ransomware attacks, malware is injected into a system through phishing emails to encrypt sensitive data and demand ransom to restore access to the system. Insider threats are very tough to detect and prevent. The healthcare institutions have now realised there shortcomings and have adopted various cybersecurity methods and frameworks to protect them from heavy loss. Cybersecurity in healthcare can be improved by various ways such as encryption, network segmentation, employee training and regular security assessment. All cybersecurity strategies should incorporate the 5 C’s – change, compliance, cost, continuity, coverage. Cybersecurity frameworks provide a structured approach to managing and mitigating cyber risks. During COVID 19 the healthcare sector was affected both workwise and digitally because of increased cyber attacks.