Page 34 - SAM September 2019

BUSINESS

Network Diagnostics:

Cyber Security for Medical Businesses

By Maria Martinez, CLU, ChFC

In 2016, a hospital in California was the victim of a ransomware want to risk critical information falling into the wrong hands. Every
attack. Hackers shut down the internal computer system at Holly- practice should consider their exposure level in the event that sen-
wood Presbyterian Medical Center for over a week, encrypting pro- sitive data is compromised, but for the medical business community,
tected patient files, emails, billing, and other sensitive data. cyber security needs to be a top priority.
The hackers were demanding $3.7 million in ransom before they
would relinquish control of the information obtained from the hos- Data Breaches
pital’s server. Tim Erlin, a spokesperson from the hospital, said that Data is everywhere. We store it in our internal business systems
the attack “seriously degraded their ability to deliver care.” and in the cloud. We collect it from our clients and share our data
Attacks like this are becoming increasingly common, and med- with business partners. Leaders need data, value it, and are able to
ical businesses are a big target. Cyber attacks can derail business amass it. We carry data with us and leave a digital footprint every
operations, cost companies thousands of dollars, and damage day. Technology providers help us store it forever and share it glob-
brand images. ally. In the data breach era, leaders face greater risk if they fail to
Cyber attacks and data breaches have become a recurring trend protect data throughout its lifecycle.
in today’s society, and the most valuable currency is customer data. Email is an easy access point and hackers can deploy massive
In the medical business world of sensitive medical records and attacks by sending out blanket emails waiting for a bite – giving
HIPPA-protected patient files, virtually all patient and company data them access to your practice’s sensitive information – or worse,
is prized by hackers and worth protecting for your practice. your patient’s personal information. Medical practices are more
As breaches become more common and destructive, organiza- susceptible to cyber attacks because many of their employees
tions are still perplexed about coverage and, ultimately, uncertain have access to patient information and medical records. These
about cyber insurance being a necessity. In this era of increasing employees constantly work over email sharing company data, and
regulation and public awareness of data security risks, you don’t often times aren’t properly trained on how to recognize or re-

34 San Antonio Medicine • September 2019