According to Black Book Research, data-rich patient files, lack of cybersecurity protocols, and outdated IT systems have influenced increased cyber threats against organizations in the healthcare and public health sectors.
Black Book Market Research LLC surveyed 2,464 security professionals from 705 provider organizations for deficiencies, vulnerabilities, and gaps in cybersecurity plans for its November State of the Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Report.
Here are six key findings to note:
- Seventy-three percent of health system, hospital and physician organizations said their infrastructures are unprepared to respond to cyberattacks. Additionally, health systems struggle to find experienced cybersecurity candidates, causing cybersecurity roles to take about 70% longer to fill than other IT-related positions.
- COVID-19 has intensified cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Struggling to keep up with the hike in security risks while simultaneously grappling with the drastic increase in demand for remote services from both patients and physicians, IT departments remain understaffed and underfunded. Black Book found that 90% of systems or employees that migrated to remote-work never received updated training or guidelines on the increased risk of access sensitive data through less secure devices.
- Almost 70% of Executive respondents are increasing their budget for cybersecurity advisors in 2021. There aren’t enough cybersecurity professionals in the market to fully staff departments, so it is strategically and economically evident that the best option is to hire experienced agencies.
- Understanding your threat landscape is crucial. When looking for your best-suited partner, you must fully understand the risk framework your organization has in place to compare with the services available from each vendor. Black Book reports that around 51% of in-house IT managers that responded report that their team is not fully aware of the diversity in cybersecurity solutions that exist.
- Over 80% of CIOs at facilities with under 150 staffed beds state they are “not even close” to adequate spending to protect data from a breach. Black Book lead researcher Brain Locastro says that the outdated systems, fewer protocols, and untrained staff are among the main reasons healthcare systems are the “current target of hacker attacks.” Locastro goes on to say that the willingness of hospitals to pay high ransoms “motivates hackers to focus on patient records.”
- Securing patient privacy should be a top priority for those organizations that wish to keep consumers from switching providers. If hackers compromised their data during a preventable attack, 93% of healthcare consumers polled threaten to leave their current provider.
As a medical malpractice and workers’ compensation insurer in the healthcare space, Inspirien has been up close and personal with the impacts of cyber attacks on our insureds. It also happens to be an area where many are underinsured. If you would like to know more about how we can help protect you from this costly risk, please contact us here.
For more information on this Black Book Research cybersecurity report, see: https://blackbookmarketresearch.com/health-data-security-and-privacy
*Article contributed by Eric Travis, IT Business Analyst for Inspirien.
Check out his LinkedIn Profile Here