Securing our data is vital in the current world. Consequently, with technology penetrating every area of our lives, cybersecurity is looking to be more important than ever.
Thus, we have to be extremely careful in our approach to the things we find on the Internet. This statement is especially true regarding healthcare data, where the threat of a cyberattack is higher than in other cases.
Do not forget that many cyber-criminals are after the personal data of your patients. Sadly, not every cybersecurity system, yours included, is ready to fight them effectively.
Nevertheless, with the right approach, you can successfully minimize the threat of losing your patients’ personal information. This article will provide you with the seven best strategies to secure your data and prevent cyberattacks.
Do a Penetration Test
A penetration test is a simulated cyberattack. Its primary function is to examine how well your security system handles cyber-threats.
Performing such a test is an excellent way to gain knowledge of any holes in your cybersecurity. If you want to keep your data secure, it is the first step towards that goal.
Additionally, if you do not know how to perform a penetration test yourself, contact some professionals! For example, cybersecurity experts from Bulletproof can perform various penetration testing services for your company.
Ensure you analyze the results and implement what could be some much-needed changes! In this way, you can stay one step ahead of cyber-criminals.
Educate Your Staff
Make sure that all your staff understands what cyber-threats they might have to face in the future. After all, your employees are the ones who are most vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Additionally, you can contact a third party to hold lectures on avoiding phishing, social engineering, and other attacks that target employees. Teach your workforce how to deal with potential threats before it is too late!
Keep Track of Your Employees
Sometimes educating your staff on the threats is not enough. In this case, monitoring your employees might be a great solution.
Try to eliminate any signs of negligence or malicious actions as soon as they show up. Of course, trusting your employees is good, but human error is often the cause of breaches and data leakage. In the case of cybersecurity, being prepared is the best bet.
Create a Backup
More than one company has encountered significant issues because they never created a backup of the digital data they stored. Do your best not to join them.
Creating a backup is not a complicated process. However, its importance cannot be stressed enough.
With a backup created, you can rest assured that all the health information is safe. Instead of worrying about data loss, invest in a backup! This way, you will not lose all the sensitive data you store in the blink of an eye.
Have a Data Breach Response Plan
Unfortunately, you cannot prevent every data breach from happening. Sometimes the cyber-criminals can break through even the most robust defenses.
Nevertheless, it is good to have a response plan your employees can follow in the wake of an ongoing cyberattack. Its primary function is to control the chaos and respond to the attack as quickly as possible. A sound plan of action will prepare you for the worst-case scenario.
Secure Wireless Networks
Almost every office network relies on a wireless connection. However, a skilled cyber-criminal can easily steal your patients’ health data by hacking into wireless networks.
One example of such a cyberattack is the so-called man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack when the hacker is eavesdropping on the communication between two parties. It is one of the most popular methods of stealing private information.
To prevent any occurrences of successful cyberattacks through your Wi-Fi, make sure that you secure it. Use only routers that are up to date, and change your network password frequently. In this way, you can save yourself much trouble and money.
Use Reliable Software
Do not fall for the temptation to buy all the new software that appears on the market! Instead, install on your operating systems only software from reliable sources.
With so many new apps and websites created every day, some of them are bound to come with flaws. Avoid the risk of them affecting your company — select only quality and proven products for your systems.
The Bottom Line
Whatever method you choose to apply, one thing stays true — keeping your data secure is essential. However, building a sound cybersecurity strategy is a more complicated process than one may think.
Luckily for you, after reading this article, you know the best measures you can undertake to secure your healthcare data. Make appropriate use of this knowledge, and you’ll greatly reduce cyber-threat risks for your company.
Remember that the security of your patients’ data should always be your number one priority! Try to protect their personal health information by using the strategies we’ve mentioned, and everything will be fine. Good luck!
