Technology is changing how healthcare works in India. Things like digital platforms and connected devices are making medical services better and more efficient. However, this accelerated digitization comes with a dark underbelly – the surge in cyber threats.
As of November 2022, the healthcare sector faced a staggering 1.9 million cyberattack events, as revealed by the CyberPeace Foundation. This alarming number shows that we really need strong cybersecurity measures to protect patients’ information and make sure healthcare systems work smoothly.
Digital healthcare information, a repository of personal, insurance and payment details becomes a high-value target for hackers. A breach not only poses a threat but jeopardizes patient safety, with personal health data being prized tenfold more than financial information on the black market.
With the National Digital Health Mission gaining momentum, proactive cybersecurity strategies are non-negotiable. We need to be watchful, work together and use different strategies to tackle the ever-changing threats in cybersecurity. To fight against cyberattacks and ensure data security, healthcare institutions can adopt some related strategies.
Addressing internal threats becomes crucial as employee errors or negligence alongside malicious actions remain the most common cause of healthcare data breaches. Educating employees about cybersecurity best practices becomes important.
Regularly updating operating systems and application systems is important. Information security should be treated as a core function with established policies to monitor and manage threats.
Using encryption is super important to keep health data safe when it is sent or stored. Encrypting data is crucial for making sure it is really protected.
Enhancing security through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing patient records, coupled with regular password changes and two-factor authentication, can significantly bolster access controls.
To make sure messaging systems are safe, we need to follow security rules for both the wireless network and the messaging systems inside and outside the place.
