Security Assessment Tool for Healthcare Industry

External attacks are on the rise

Insider misuse breaches dropped this year, as did breaches involving multiple actors—which occurs when external and internal actors team up to steal data and commit financial fraud. And while healthcare is the sector with the highest amount of internal actor breaches, external actor breaches were slightly more common.

Accidental vulnerability, intentional attacks

Within this sector, misdelivery was the most common mistake. This usually occurs when someone sends an email with sensitive data to the wrong recipients or when a mass paper mailer is sent to the wrong addresses. Web applications were the second most common target due to the growth of patient portals and other online tools, which are rich troves of personal data.

Be prepared to react fast

Cybercriminals can compromise a system and capture data within seconds, so it’s ideal to have a strategy to identify threats as they happen. It’s also important to monitor slower-moving threats, like an insider sharing small amounts of data each week with an accomplice.