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High-profile security breaches impacting large organizations, including healthcare entities, continue to affect the sensitive data of millions of people. The importance of professionals skilled in cyber security as it relates to the healthcare sector continues to grow. Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology strives to help meet this growing need by offering degree programs that will equip the next generation of cybersecurity professionals with the skills they need to succeed and meet this growing demand.
The healthcare organization Ascension experienced a data breach in early May because of an accidental download of a malicious file. This error allowed an attacker to access the system and steal files that contained protected health information and personally identifiable information (PII) for several individuals. Ascension is one of the largest health systems in the United States with 140 hospitals spread out across several states and Washington D.C. All systems were down for some time, requiring medical staff to use pen and paper to take patient notes and request medical tests and prescriptions. Healthcare personnel were highly concerned about having to do everything by hand due to the possibility of making errors, especially when providing critical medication to patients. Medical tests like X-rays and MRIs were delayed due to the slowness of transcribing everything by hand. All non-essential procedures were paused and, in some cases, patients had to be sent to different hospitals for treatment. According to TechTarget, suspicious activity was detected in early May and access to electronic health records was restored by mid-June. Ascension faces multiple lawsuits and has been accused of not adequately encrypting patient information.
While it is not clear how the malicious file was downloaded or where it came from, this type of data breach demonstrates the importance of making sure healthcare staff are trained and able to identify if a file is dangerous or, at the very least, to check with someone before attempting to open or download. Many data breaches still happen due to user error. Organizations should dedicate time and resources to ensuring that everyone on staff is involved in helping to maintain the overall cyber security profile of the organization.
Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology wants to help you become a critical player in the war against cyber-attacks. By offering comprehensive programs for cyber and network security and privacy, Cambridge hopes to arm you with the tools you need to secure critical systems, train others to recognize threats and help stop hackers in their attempts to steal sensitive information. To learn more, visit our website or fill out a Request Info form with your contact information. We hope to speak with you soon.