The recent data security breach at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center earlier this month validates the ongoing threat of healthcare companies being highly targeted and vulnerable to Cybersecurity Breaches. This is due to the fact that such organizations must store extremely sensitive and highly confidential patient data. These attacks can often be devastating, and in the case of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the attack left them without any electronic data as it had been held hostage in what is known as a “Ransomware” attack.
Unfortunately, in the insurance and health industries these attacks are becoming more common. Ransomware attacks in particular have nearly doubled in the last year alone. Experts believe that this could be just the “tip of the iceberg” as this type of data breach is becoming a favorite amongst the hacking community.
Healthcare companies are already required to follow strict guidelines in order to remain HIPAA compliant and avoid fines. In the past, many entities were able to “fly under the radar” as a result of limited policing, and willful ignorance. This is no longer the case. HIPAA enforcement is now be two-fold with both the Department of Health/Human Services (HHS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) vigilantly auditing those falling under HIPAA jurisdiction. In fact, first time penalties can add up to $50,000 or more, a hefty price to pay for a lack of cybersecurity.
It is important to be HIPAA compliant but even while following these guidelines your company can still be at risk, as seen with attack on Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. For these reasons and more, it is more important than ever to make sure your healthcare organization has the proper Cybersecurity measures in place to ensure the security of your data.
Aurora has custom cybersecurity solutions and consulting services tailored to meet the needs of Healthcare Companies. Contact our Cybesecurity Experts to learn more about how we can protect and secure your Healthcare organization’s sensitive data.
