Fortinet - IT security in the digital transformation of healthcare

The healthcare industry has been permanently changed by the digital transformation. Innovations in the medical field have led to new treatment methods as well as cost savings that do not negatively affect the quality of healthcare. Faster and better networks enable telemedicine, which provides thousands of patients with access to high-quality care.

But cybercriminals have also targeted the healthcare sector now more than ever. As a result, cybersecurity is critical to the success of healthcare systems, which are increasingly at risk from the theft of patient data or the taking of internal computer systems hostage by ransomware. The vulnerabilities that enable these attacks exist in every vertical, but in healthcare, these attacks can be life-threatening.

Below are three areas that healthcare IT and security teams should focus on to improve IT security standards in the long term.

How can telemedicine security be ensured?

Online tools and medical IoT devices to monitor patient health are now ubiquitous - they are even used in surgery. Patient portals give people more control over their healthcare and better access to important information. However, this digital transformation of medicine cannot exist without ensuring that data is protected from cybercriminals.

Healthcare IT teams face several challenges in combating cybercrime. They must have visibility into the advanced network architecture, data and operating systems, and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices on the network. Two of the most important tools to achieve this level of visibility are network access control (NAC) and cyber threat assessment programmes (CTAPs).

Network access control

NAC solutions provide secure authentication and monitoring of devices on the network, as well as automated response if malicious behaviour is detected. These solutions can also manage and enforce access policies on networks to ensure that only users and devices from approved segments can access certain data.

Cyber threat assessment and insider threat defence

Vulnerability management plays an important role in identifying vulnerabilities in the network. The information gathered during an assessment can be used to validate and enhance the current network architecture. This visibility can help IT security teams support the telemedicine field and effectively allocate resources when needed.

Cyber threats don't just come from outside the organisation. Insider threats - whether from malicious, negligent or careless employees - can be even more dangerous than external threats. These threats not only come from within the secure network perimeter, but also use different methods than external threats. This creates additional challenges for healthcare security teams in monitoring and mitigating threats.

User education and network segmentation are the right place to start. However, protecting against insider threats also requires full network visibility and a robust set of benchmarks against which threat data can be compared. However, this has proven difficult in the healthcare space so far.

How can the Internet of Medical Things be defended?

IoMT devices are a fundamental part of coordinated healthcare. Many patients rely on them to maintain their health, even when they cannot see a doctor (for example, with heart monitors or regulating blood sugar levels). Unfortunately, these IoMT devices are inherently insecure and vulnerable to attacks comparable to those on regular IoT devices - but these can put patients' health - and lives - at risk.

This problem is made all the more complicated because cybercriminals do not need to be in close physical proximity to compromise an IoMT device. When cybercriminals gain access to a healthcare network - whether through a misconfigured or unsecured device, a vulnerable cloud data service or an insecure application within the network - they often have access to all devices connected to that network. It is therefore imperative that the healthcare industry, including the developers of these IoMT devices, take steps to secure them.

The healthcare industry cannot afford to be lax on IT security, even if it wants to rapidly implement digital transformation. Patients who rely on the healthcare system for critical health services - whether in person or remotely - are at risk every time they use telemedicine services, use IoMT devices or access data over an insecure connection.

The solution consists of several pillars. It requires cross-network visibility, prioritised threat management, real-time threat assessment and an emergency response strategy. Key to this approach is planning ahead and using threat analytics to sustainably protect healthcare facilities from internal and external threats.

Original article by Sonia Arista, Healthcare Field CISO at Fortinet

Translated from English with DeepL, editing and corrections Victor Rossner