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Industry Spotlight: Penetration Testing Best Practices in Healthcare Industry

Healthcare firms should be concerned about the security of their sector. According to one study, only around half of healthcare firms dedicate a portion of their IT budget to healthcare in cybersecurity. The larger picture suggests that just around half of healthcare organizations must properly allocate resources to protect patients’ data. In today’s ever-changing cyber world, healthcare businesses face a plethora of possible security risks, particularly those aimed at personal data. Given this year’s significant spike in occurrences, healthcare organizations should invest in healthcare penetration Testing to secure data and applications. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into the cyber threats in the healthcare industry and the best practices on how penetration testing can help overcome them. We’ll also go through HIPAA compliance and its importance. Why is the Healthcare Industry Prone to Data Breaches? Healthcare IT teams are responsible for securing hospital applications and medical facilities from cyberattacks, but they confront several challenges in hardening their vast attack surface. The healthcare industry, which houses a plethora of sensitive consumer patient data and IoMT devices, is an excellent target for attackers, notably ransomware assaults. According to 2022 research, ransomware affected 66% of healthcare businesses in 2022. It also found that 61% of respondents with encrypted data were willing to pay the ransom, compared to 46% in other industries. Furthermore, these numbers demonstrate the significance of a continual vulnerability management approach that fixes cybersecurity holes and segments applications to resist ransomware assaults. The following are the top healthcare data breach figures for 2023-2024: According to HIPAA, healthcare data breaches in the United States have fallen by 48%.  Ransomware attacks caused a rise in medical issues in 36% of healthcare institutions.  Healthcare cybersecurity receives 4-7% of the health system’s IT budget.  Negligent personnel are responsible for 61% of healthcare data breach threats.  According to a report, the healthcare industry saw almost 337 breaches in the first half of 2022 alone.  According to another report, the 337 documented healthcare events affected 19,992,810 people.  Hacking accounted for 80% of reported healthcare breaches by US HSS, with unauthorized access accounting for the remaining 15%.   The statistics can be overwhelming if you’re into the healthcare business. We know how to solve this. Penetration testing can help you overcome healthcare threats. Discover a Free call with security experts today! Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call The Importance of Protecting Data in Healthcare Both ethical health research and privacy regulations help society significantly. It is critical for ethical research to protect patients engaged in a study from harm and to protect their rights. The basic reason for safeguarding personal privacy is to defend people’s interests. On the other hand, the major reason for gathering individually identifiable health information and Medical device penetration testing services is benefit to society. Health research may help individuals by facilitating access to novel medications, improved diagnostics, and more effective methods of preventing sickness and providing care. Medical device Security and Data Security is presently one of the healthcare industry’s top priorities. Data breaches and cyber assaults have increased dramatically in recent years across the industry. Furthermore, healthcare breaches soared by 55.1% between 2019 and 2020, according to research from 2021. Breach recovery can take time and might be costly to restore. The typical healthcare institution needed 236 days to recover from a data breach; each compromised patient record cost $500. Furthermore, Healthcare breaches are prevalent and can have serious ramifications. By implementing data protection measures, healthcare institutions can remain watchful against assaults and breaches. Patient Data and the HIPAA Privacy Rule Implementing healthcare data security solutions is critical not just for ensuring the safety of patient records. It is also required to follow HIPAA regulations, which require the following: Healthcare institutions should conduct frequent risk assessments to evaluate security measures.  To mitigate data vulnerabilities, implement risk management strategies.  Maintaining HIPAA compliance as a healthcare business requires the implementation of comprehensive security measures. Read more: Deep Dive into Healthcare Penetration Testing The Top 5 Cyber Threats in the Healthcare Industry The five most significant cybersecurity problems in the healthcare business are described below to illustrate the relevance of healthcare cybersecurity programs in the present cyberattack scenario. These cyber risks represent the greatest danger to patient information and medical device’s security. 1. Phishing The most common cybersecurity threat in healthcare is phishing. Phishing is the technique of inserting dangerous links into seemingly harmless emails. In addition, email phishing is the most prevalent sort of phishing. Phishing emails can appear quite convincing, and they frequently make use of a well-known medical condition to encourage link clicks. 2. Information Breach When compared to other businesses, the healthcare industry experiences a disproportionately high number of data breaches. HIPAA imposes stringent criteria for safeguarding health records and other sensitive information from unauthorized access, but many healthcare organizations need to execute its security procedures. 3. DDoS Attacks A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a flood of bogus connection requests directed at a specific server, causing it to go down. Multiple endpoints and IoT devices are forcibly recruited into a botnet via malware infection to engage in this coordinated attack during this attack. DDoS assaults may not provide the same data exfiltration dangers as ransomware attacks but cause the same operational disruption. 4. Obsolete technology Medical technology frequently becomes obsolete due to limited finances and a reluctance to learn new applications. Healthcare companies must respond to the latest cyber dangers to keep their patient data safe. Setting aside funds and investing in the best option for your company is critical. 5. Vulnerabilities in Medical Apps As the usage of linked medical devices or applications such as infusion pumps and pacemakers grows, fraudsters have a new attack surface to exploit. These gadgets’ flaws can be used to risk patient safety. Medical device attacks can risk patient lives, disrupt healthcare operations, and result in expensive legal fights for device makers. Healthcare Penetration Testing : The Saviour for Data and Privacy Healthcare penetration testing serves hospitals, clinics, behavioral

FDA Rolls Out New Guidelines for Medical Network Device Security
Cyber Crime, Cybersecurity in medical devices

FDA Rolls Out New Guidelines for Medical Network Device Security

As medical devices become more sophisticated and the  Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) business grows in popularity, it is critical to ensure that your medical equipment is cyber-secure. Because of the huge volumes of health information and data, such as patient health, product performance, or data from other devices linked to the same network, the healthcare business has long been a target of cyber assaults. Due to the increase in cyber assaults on medical devices, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administrator) released a Guideline for cybersecurity in medical devices manufacturers on how to secure their devices from assaults. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of cybersecurity, the guidelines of the FDA, and how to protect IoMT (Internet of Medical Things). Understanding the Cyber Threats of Medical Devices Many healthcare assaults utilize phishing and the establishment of persistent threats within networks and devices in order to attack when the potential benefits are greatest. 327 data breaches have been reported since the beginning of 2023. According to research, that statistic has grown more than 104% from 160 breaches as of mid-2022 and shows “no signs of abating.” In 2023, cyberattacks targeted more than 40 million individual patients, representing a 60% rise year on year for the first six months. According to the report, there were five breaches of at least 3 million data each in the first half of 2023, compared to a single breach of 2 million records last year. Healthcare business associates are also in danger, accounting for 14% of all reported breaches and increasing from 22 in mid-2020 to 82 this year. According to the study, this is a 273% increase. Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call FDA Cybersecurity Guidelines for Securing Medical Network Devices While the new guidance is similar in structure and content to the previous version, it adds two new substantive sub-sections to the original security risk management section: A new appendix identifying which specific documentation elements recommended for inclusion in premarket submissions will also apply to IDE submissions, Several cybersecurity term definitions. September 26, 2023: The FDA supports the establishment and use of a “Secure Product Development Framework,” or “SPDF.” This defines as a collection of activities that limit the number and severity of vulnerabilities in products across the device lifecycle. The SPDF is meant to be the core structure which manages cybersecurity risk, and focuses on three main elements:  security risk management security architecture cybersecurity testing The guideline also mentions IEC 81001-5-1, a health software reference standard, as a viable framework to explore developing the SPDF. To assist in showing device safety and efficacy, the FDA Cybersecurity Guidance continues to suggest including a security risk management report in a premarket submission. The revised guidance’s modified security risk management section includes two new sub-sections, the first of which is on “Cybersecurity Risk Assessments.” The guideline acknowledges that cybersecurity risks are difficult to foresee and that previous data or modeling cannot estimate and quantify the possibility of an incident occurring. As a result, a cybersecurity risk assessment should concentrate on the exploitability of vulnerabilities existent within a device or system, as well as those that anticipates to exist in the context of use. The FDA recommends that the cybersecurity risk assessment include not only the risks and controls identified in the threat model but also the methods used for scoring such risks before and after mitigation, as well as the associated acceptance criteria, as well as the method for transferring security risks into the safety risk assessment. The risk management section also includes a new section on “Interoperability Considerations,” which addresses cybersecurity concerns that may arise from interoperable functionality. This includes interfaces with other medical devices and accessories and other functions. The guidance states that properly implemented cybersecurity controls will help ensure the safe and effective exchange and use of information. It also advises device manufacturers to assess whether additional security controls beneath common technology and communication protocols such as Bluetooth and network protocols are required to ensure safety and effectiveness. The guidance advises device manufacturers to consider the appropriate cybersecurity risks and controls that associates with interoperability capabilities and ensure they are in the document. According to FDA requirements, all cybersecurity efforts must be well documented and traceable, including records of risk assessments, security controls, testing findings, and mitigation plans. This paperwork must provide useful information for post-market monitoring and risk management. The FDA emphasizes the need to regularly monitor and analyze cybersecurity threats throughout the lifespan of a device. Manufacturers are expected to have mechanisms in place to identify, respond to, and mitigate cybersecurity events in a timely manner, assuring the device’s continuous safety and efficacy. These recommendations define the material necessary for premarket filings, ensuring manufacturers present enough documentation of their cybersecurity risk management strategies. This comprises documentation of risk assessments, security controls, testing findings, and a cybersecurity risk management plan for the device. The FDA is asking for an SBOM (Software Bill of Materials), which is a complete inventory of all software components that utilizes in a medical device, including those generated by the maker and those developed by third parties. An SBOM helps device makers and users discover possible security threats in a timely way, hence facilitating risk management processes. The Mandates of Cybersecurity in Medical Devices FDA Testing, like other aspects of product development, uses to show the efficacy of design controls. While software development and cybersecurity are closely related disciplines, cybersecurity controls necessitate testing that extends beyond standard software verification and validation activities. This is a need in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controls in a proper security context. This demonstrates that the device has a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. A manufacturer requires to create and maintain processes for validating the device design. This verification must ensure that the design output satisfies the criteria of the design input. A manufacturer requires to create and maintain processes

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Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert

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Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

Pabitra Kumar Sahoo

COO & Cybersecurity Expert