Healthcare organizations face increased risk

Healthcare organizations and patients are facing greater risk as an increase in connected devices creates an expanded attack surface according to a new report.

The study from asset management and security platform Armis surveyed 2,000 patients and 400 healthcare IT professionals across the US and shows a disconnect between the concerns of the two groups.

The organizations of 58 percent of healthcare IT pros have been hit by ransomware. But while patients are concerned about security, and acknowledge the impact that an attack could have on their care, there is a lack of awareness about recent cyberattacks with 61 percent saying they hadn’t heard of any in the healthcare sector in the last two years.

Data breaches resulting in loss of confidential patient information is the top concern for healthcare IT pros (52 percent), followed by attacks on hospital operations (23 percent), and ransomware attacks (13 percent).

On the patient side 73 percent recognize that an attack could impact their quality of care. Privacy issues associated with online portals (37 percent) top the list of concerns for potential patients, and 52 percent say they are worried about an attack shutting down hospital operations and potentially affecting patient care.

There are some positive notes that indicate healthcare organizations are taking steps towards creating a more secure environment. 86 percent of respondents state that their organization has a CISO, and 95 percent of IT healthcare professionals believe their organization's connected devices are up-to-date with the latest software.

Recent attacks are a catalyst for change too, 75 percent of IT professionals agree that recent attacks have had a strong influence on decision-making at their health organization.

"Continuous visibility, context and alignment of security analytics to enterprise risk is the beacon to which we need to move to improve how we view device and asset management," says Oscar Miranda, CTO for healthcare at Armis. "It is critical for healthcare organizations to take the entire patient journey into consideration when thinking about security. A strong healthcare security strategy is multi-faceted and requires a holistic view. Armis is committed to helping its healthcare customers realize the vision where risk management and continuity of operations can exist symbiotically."

You can find out more about protecting healthcare systems on the Armis site.

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