In an age where everything is digital, healthcare has kept up by adopting new digital tools that make it easier for people to access care, get personalised treatments, and see better health results. Digital health technology includes everything from simple mobile health apps that allow users to monitor metrics like steps, sleep, and even stress levels to regulated medical devices utilising AI and Machine Learning to help diagnose diseases, predict health trends or even allow patients to be monitored remotely.
Whilst these innovations are helping to improve patient care, they are also becoming an attractive target for cybercrime. This is because they process large volumes of sensitive information about patients, including personal health details, financial information, biometric data and treatment records. Cybercriminals find this data valuable for identity theft, fraud, and other harmful activities. A cybersecurity breach in the healthcare sector can also disrupt device or technology functionality, which could be life-threatening where healthcare IT works alongside medical devices or care pathways that are dependent on technology to function. In a recent example in the NHS, Advanced, a software business responsible for providing Out-Of-Hours GP systems was hit by a ransomware attack resulting in the loss of 83,000 patient records and widespread disruption to care.
Securing digital health technology is essential to safeguard patient privacy and safety, maintaining the trust of patients to use new innovations and ensuring compliance with frameworks such as HIPAA and the NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC), etc. in order to prevent fines and legal repercussions.
In this article, we’ll explore five practical and effective strategies to help you protect your digital health technology from cyber threats, ensuring you can confidently provide secure healthcare services.
5 Strategies to Secure Your Digital Health Technology Against Cyber Threats
1. Conduct Regular Security Assessments
As cyber threats are constantly increasing and evolving in digital health technology, it is essential to conduct regular security assessments in these systems in order to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
Implementation tips
- Conduct vulnerability scans
- Penetration testing
- Code audits on a consistent schedule.
2. Use Strong Authentication and Access Control
Safeguarding patient data requires strong authentication and strict access controls to prevent unauthorised access, data breaches, and privilege escalation.
Implementation tips
- Setting up multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Educating employees and patients about using complex, unique passwords for each system
- Implementing policies to restrict access based on roles and responsibilities. This is also a strict requirement of the Cyber Essentials certification scheme, a UK government backed scheme intended to help UK businesses to protect against cyber threats.
3. Ensure Data Encryption
Since digital health platforms store and transform dozens of patient’s sensitive data, it is crucial to encrypt data, both at rest and in transit. Encrypting this data helps prevent unauthorised access, as it remains unreadable to anyone without the appropriate decryption key. Some implementation tips include adopting modern encryption standards for digital health technologies, such as using TLS (Transport Layer Security) to secure data in transit and AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) to protect data at rest.
4. Update and Patch Software Regularly
Using outdated software poses significant risks due to known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit, leading to unauthorised access and data breaches. To protect sensitive patient data in digital health technology, it’s essential to regularly update and patch software.
Implementation tips
- Include implementing automated updates to ensure software is regularly updated and conducting vulnerability assessments to identify any areas where updates might be required.
5. Educate and Train Users on Cybersecurity
Create a culture of security for everyone engaged with these technologies by setting clear policies for device use, secure communication, and email protection. Encourage staff to report suspicious activity, and set up a quick-response system for any potential threats.
Conclusion
As digital health technology becomes essential to patient care, the importance of strong cybersecurity measures cannot be overstated. To protect sensitive patient data and mitigate cyber threats, healthcare organisations must conduct regular security assessments, implement robust access controls, encrypt data, keep software updated, and educate staff on best practices. These foundational steps not only safeguard patient information but also ensure compliance with regulations like HIPAA, reinforcing patient trust in digital health technologies. By prioritising cybersecurity, organisations can create a secure environment that embraces the benefits of innovation while protecting against potential risks.
