Healthcare IT and privileged access security – an admin’s guide

Cyber attacks in healthcare have ramifications beyond financial loss.
Cyber attacks in healthcare have ramifications beyond financial loss.

The digital revolution of internet of things (IOT) devices benefits multiple industries across the globe. When it comes to the healthcare industry, the scope of internet-connected medical devices earns it a unique categorisation – the internet of medical things (IOMT). IOMT is the integration of interconnected medical devices, software and other services with healthcare IT systems over the internet. Healthcare IOT includes a wide range of products, including blood pressure monitors, MRI and CT scanners, pregnancy testing kits, X-ray machines and pacemakers. IOMT enables healthcare organisations to streamline their operations and treatment processes, improve patient care and medical efficiency, reduce treatment costs and even attend to patients from remote locations.

Although the healthcare sector offers critical medical services, it’s plagued by myriad cyber security related issues that are not always considered or addressed by healthcare organisations. Cyber criminals are always on the lookout to exploit the vulnerabilities that are coupled with glucose meters, blood pressure cuffs and other devices that allow healthcare providers to automatically collect information and process the data to provide better services. Cyber attacks in healthcare have ramifications beyond financial loss and privacy breaches – a few organisations across the globe have even reported fatalities resulting from cyber crime!

With the proliferation of IOMT devices and advanced healthcare technologies, cyber criminals are also developing sophisticated tools and techniques to attack healthcare systems, steal critical data or put healthcare operations on hold until a ransom is delivered. Privacy, safety and security are major concerns that come with the rapid advancement of IOMT.

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