While many Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving Day 2023, hospitals all over the country were doing the exact opposite. Systems were n’t working properly. There was a detour for ambulances. The care was hampered. When a ransomware attack hit hospitals in three states, the real-world consequences became apparent—not just computer networks were shut down, but actual patient care itself.
More than ever, cybercriminals are blatant in their targeting of smaller healthcare organizations in exchange for large sums of money. It would be nice to think that there used to be a code of conduct for thieves, but if there ever was one, it has been destroyed and thrown into the wind. Nowadays, sophisticated hacker groups are more than happy to target hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities with cyberattacks. Unfortunately, small to mid-sized healthcare organizations have become easy targets for cybercriminals to steal sensitive data from, demand high ransoms, and, worst of all, reduce critical patient care.
Attacks using phishing and ransomware are spreading at an unhealthy rate.
Everything you do is crucial if you work in healthcare. Because of this, it is extremely concerning how frequently healthcare organizations are now attacked. Large breaches have increased by 93 % between 2018 and 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS). There has been a 278 % rise in ransomware-related breaches during that same time period.
In addition to holding your wallet hostage, ransomware also poses a threat to the safety of your patients. You are, at best, temporarily locked out of your systems. Patient care is, at worst, seriously compromised. If you provide services to smaller communities, where patients rely on your clinic, cancer center, or doctor’s office for both primary and secondary care, this is particularly concerning.
Your patients are undoubtedly your top priority, but you also need to think about your financial situation. According to the HIPAA Journal, the healthcare sector’s average ransomware payment in 2021 was$ 197, 000. And compared to the previous year, that is a 33 % increase!
The most common method of attack today is phishing, which is the practice of sending fraudulent emails posing as legitimate sources in an effort to obtain personal information. Phishing scams account for more than 90 % of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations, according to The HIPAA Journal. This means that accidentally clicking on one email could have serious repercussions for your operation, staff, and patients.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ( HIPAA ) fines can be crippling in addition to the potential financial burden that cybercriminals may impose. Tens of thousands of dollars in fines could apply if you are the victim of a data breach. For instance, the Office for Civil Rights of HHS recently settled the first-ever cyberattack investigation with a staggering fine of$ 480, 000 for the medical group in Louisiana. The medical group’s Microsoft 365 environment, which serves as the repository for their patients ‘ protected health information ( PHI), was the target of a simple phishing scam that led to all of this.
Healthcare is easier to target because there are more endpoints and fewer resources.
Simply put, human expertise and cutting-edge technology are required for effective cybersecurity. However, Huntress found that more than 60 % of respondents did n’t have any dedicated cybersecurity experts on staff, according to the report The State of Cybersecurity for Mid-Sized Businesses in 2023. This is due to the fact that many small and medium-sized businesses ( SMBs ) are constrained and find it difficult to achieve even one of these fundamental elements. SMBs have had to cut budgets due to a number of economic factors, both inside and outside of healthcare, which means skipping much-needed investments in cybersecurity products and people.
Healthcare organizations typically allocate less than 6 % of their total IT budgets to cybersecurity, according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society ( HIMSS). Even worse, there is a severe talent shortage in cybersecurity, making it increasingly difficult to fill internal positions with qualified candidates. The best candidates are also demanding top-level salaries, which are occasionally out of reach for smaller healthcare organizations due to the scarcity of top talent.
Aging technology also does n’t make things better. Cybercriminals now have quick access to outdated technology and outdated operating systems. Due to their weaker defenses, smaller healthcare organizations make excellent targets. Your IT team might not have the cybersecurity expertise to handle changing cyber threats due to tight budgets and a lack of staff.
More endpoints than ever before need to be protected, which adds to the chaos. Remote work and telehealth have significantly increased over the past ten years, most notably in COVID. The good news is that now patients can receive care in the convenience of their own homes, with outside monitoring and assistance from professionals like you. More access points to data, particularly via tablets, laptops, and mobile devices, are required by this level of care. On the other hand, this also means that your data can now be accessed by more shady actors.
For the Worse, the Threat Landscape is evolving.
Cybercriminals are becoming more organized, which is one reason threats are spreading more frequently. and more brutal. It’s no longer a naughty loner hiding behind an opaque hoodie in the dim basement. These sophisticated criminal organizations are capable of pulling off meticulously planned heists. Imagine Ocean’s Eleven, but with much less style and regret.
Even hostile nation-affiliated hacking groups have been found by U.S. intelligence. These state-sponsored cybercriminals, also referred to as advanced persistent threats ( APTs ), have the power to shut down everything from water treatment plants to natural gas pipelines to electricity grids. Your small- to mid-sized healthcare organization wo n’t face any difficulties if these groups have grown strong enough to destroy the military and civilian infrastructure. You are merely a drive-by ATM to them.
Nearly 25 % of SMBs have either experienced a cyberattack or have n’t even realized they had one in the previous year, according to the Huntress report, The State of Cybersecurity for Mid-Sized Businesses in 2023.
Cybercriminals are currently concealing themselves. They are “blending into” your regular IT operations to take advantage of built-in system functionalities, going beyond the realm of typical ransomware tactics. They can now more easily manipulate your systems using legitimate applications like remote monitoring and management ( RMM) thanks to this. For instance, cybercriminals can take advantage of trusted executables that are already installed on your operating systems, known as living-off-the-land binaries ( LOLBins ), to commit malicious acts. Your standard spam filters or anti-malware solutions are simply insufficient if these threat actors are no longer solely dependent on custom malware. As a result, your entire security system needs to be visible.
With a few solutions, you can act right away.
Organizations like yours must be vigilant and proactive when it comes to healthcare cybersecurity because a lot is at stake, including lives. You need to take a defense-in-depth approach because no single layer of your security is completely safe anymore.
This entails adding layers of defenses with measures like patch management, data encryption, threat detection, and intrusion prevention. Therefore, there is an additional layer to prevent a threat from slipping through the gaps if one of these defenses is ineffective. However, a layered strategy probably necessitates ongoing monitoring and fine-tuning. There are many straightforward solutions you can still use to achieve effective protection, with a managed EDR being one of the most potent if you do n’t have the internal resources or expertise to manage your cybersecurity.
Training in Security Awareness ( SAT )
Introduce SAT to teach cybersecurity best practices to your staff. To help them make better decisions to protect your company and your patients, these programs may include phishing simulations and pertinent cyber threat lessons. It is advised that you include interesting, story-driven lessons in SAT programs because they have been shown to be more effective at retaining information.
Multi-factor authentication ( MFA )
By requiring your staff to access an account using a second verification factor, such as their personal phone or security token, MFA adds an additional layer of security. When logging into your banking app or even your go-to streaming service, you’ve probably seen MFA used. MFA has the advantage of being more secure than usernames and passwords, which are susceptible to theft, forgetting, and loss.
EDR management
For your healthcare organization, this could be the most effective and economical solution. A managed EDR carries out important cybersecurity tasks on your behalf by fusing cutting-edge technology with human-led analysis:
- Endpoint data monitoring and collection
- Threat detection and investigation
- Alarms are triggered
- offering one-click solutions and actionable remediation steps
Easy to deploy, Huntress EDR management is fully managed and monitored by a 24/7 Security Operations Center. These cybersecurity experts have your back from the first signs of suspicious activity all the way to remediation.
Healthcare Cybersecurity Needs for Huntress Safeguards
It’s crucial that you maintain your defenses as healthcare organizations are at the mercy of cybercriminals. This is crucial in a world where threats are constantly growing and budgets are getting tighter.
Nowadays, cybercriminals are more intelligent, well-organized, and unforgiving. As long as they can make a quick profit, they do n’t care who they hurt. In order to protect your business, your employees, and your patients, it is imperative that you strengthen your cybersecurity.
However, a significant amount of money, resources, and expertise are needed to build an extensive defense infrastructure. Prioritizing these can be challenging for smaller healthcare organizations, but there are solutions. Assess the risks that could arise. Inform your staff about online dangers. and use an EDR that is managed. Even the most basic preventative measures can halt the spread of something much more harmful, just like in medicine.
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Healthcare organizations like yours can use Huntress to protect themselves from cybersecurity threats that are constantly changing. Today, set up your free trial.
HIMSS 2024 Attending?
Visit Huntress in Booth 1616 in Orlando from March 11 to March 15. Visit us to find out more about how Huntress can prevent cyberattacks for your healthcare company.