Enhancing Indian Healthcare Cyber Security 

Rithika Biswas
Rithika Biswas April 2, 2023
Updated 2023/04/06 at 3:57 AM

There is no doubt that the Indian healthcare system has been one of the fastest-growing industries. With growth comes the acceleration of the use of technology and the emergence of tech innovations in the field of medicine across the country. Technologies such as robotic surgery, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the adverse use of the internet, 3D printing, nanotechnology, etc. have been prevalent for ages now. With the outbreak of Covid 19, people have welcomed and implemented technology a lot more in their daily lives than before. For example, the digital adoption process makes the whole thing more comfortable, less tedious, and more accessible to all, including small non-urban providers. 

However, the rapid adoption of technology has made the healthcare sector increasingly susceptible to cyber-attacks and fraud cases. Cyber risks (such as identity theft, financial fraud, malware, phishing, and so on) wreak havoc on the health tech business due to a lack of a strong cybersecurity infrastructure. Inevitably, hospitals do not spend 5% of their budget on a strong cybersecurity infrastructure.

As a result, cyber-attacks have become more widespread and sophisticated. As a result, organizations must upgrade their cybersecurity structure to defend networks, systems, and programs from digital threats. To safeguard medical records, patient data, and other sensitive information, the healthcare system must be secure. Healthcare organizations must defend their systems and data from cyber-attacks on a proactive basis. In this post, we will look at some of the steps that may be taken to improve the cybersecurity of the Indian medical system.

Here are a few of the steps healthcare systems should and are taking into consideration to evade the threat of cybercrime and protect sensitive information from becoming potential public knowledge.

Need for Cyber Security Experts in Healthcare is Critical

1. Strengthening of The Existing Cyber Security

The first step in strengthening the Indian healthcare system’s cybersecurity framework is to strengthen the current facilities. It entails keeping all systems up to date and installing the most recent security updates. Additionally, organizations should ensure that all systems are running the most recent version of their operating system. To guard against hostile actors, it is also critical to establish firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

2. Establishment of a Security Culture

Establishing a security culture within the organization is equally critical. It entails educating personnel on cybersecurity best practices as well as putting in place policies and procedures to ensure that all data is handled securely. Employees should be trained to recognize and report unusual activity, and all systems should be monitored on a regular basis for potential security threats.

3. Implementation of Encryption

Encryption is one of the finest and most efficient methods of defending data against cyber-attacks. Encryption assures that even if a hacker has access to the data, it will be unreadable and useless. All sensitive data, including patient records and other secret information, should be encrypted by organizations.

A realistic cyber security exercise environment for the digital healthcare  domain – ECHAlliance

4. Using Tools & Vendors For Data Protection

Because healthcare may require employees for billing, monitoring, medical devices, and a variety of other functions, all tools and suppliers they use must adhere to data standards. Any slip from any of these providers can jeopardize the healthcare companies’ data. A few requirements to look for are ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance. India’s data protection bill will soon be the minimum and gold standard of trust in the country. 

5. Monitoring Network Traffic

In order to identify potential dangers, organizations should also monitor network activity. It involves monitoring for suspicious actions like data exfiltration or harmful code. To ensure the system’s security, network traffic should be monitored on a regular basis.

6. Implementation of Access Control

Limits on access can also be used to strengthen the Indian healthcare system’s cybersecurity structure. Organizations can use access controls to restrict access to sensitive data and systems, ensuring that only authorized individuals have access to them. Access controls should be implemented for all systems and data, and access permissions should be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they are current.

In Conclusion

Cyber awareness and data privacy are essential for the Indian healthcare system to be resilient against cyber threats and data breaches. Organizations must take proactive steps to protect their systems and data, ensuring their processes, data, and devices are secure and not vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

 

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