Healthcare -top priority for cyber attackers

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving industry, as hackers and security professionals become sophisticated and continuously try to outsmart each other. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is celebrated every October and is an initiative to put conscious efforts towards ensuring better cybersecurity hygiene and incorporate stronger security measures. In 2021, Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlights the importance of cybersecurity education for all around the theme: Do your part. #BeCyberSmart. Industry experts share their insights around the evolving threat landscape and why the healthcare sector is most vulnerable to cyberattacks and how the industry can bolster cyber defences.

According to CrowdStrike’s Threat Hunting Report 2021, healthcare was one of the top five targeted verticals in the APJ region, with confidential information such as PII and PHI data from clinical trials and research often a target for adversaries. Pharmaceutical companies have intellectual property they need to secure relating to things like proprietary drug information or pharmaceutical research. This is also very attractive to adversaries because of the sell on value or potential to use for ransom demands as well as the opportunity to fast track drug research through theft of this information.

The last 18 months have brought unprecedented challenges and opportunities for the healthcare sector - according to a recent report by Praxis Global Alliance. The online doctor consultation market is expected to be over $800 million by FY24, growing at 72% CAGR. But with the heightened demand for telehealth and virtual care, vaccination drives, and more devices on the network, there has never been a more critical time to address the cybersecurity strategy in the sector.

To effectively mitigate cybersecurity risks, organisations need to focus their cybersecurity approach on prevention, detection and response. Healthcare leaders should also add Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to their cyber strategy. EDR detects and mitigates cyber threats through continuous and comprehensive real-time visibility into a network’s endpoints. Behavioural analysis and intelligence is then applied to endpoint data to stop breaches when attempted. With the right approach to vulnerability management, healthcare organizations can identify the most pressing security weaknesses in the environment and #BeCyberSmart by addressing them quickly to avoid attacks.