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Email Security to Protect the Health Care Sector

Struggles for Healthcare

There is no doubt from anybody that the Healthcare industry is of extreme importance and must function properly. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry is overstrained, to make matters worse the industry is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks worldwide and especially in the UK. The average cost of one successful cyber-attack is between £8,460-£13,400*1 and cyber criminals have a particular interest for the healthcare industry. This is because of the abundant amount of personal information you hold such as medical records and patient addresses; it is fantastic that the healthcare industry is undergoing digital transformation as quicker access to medical information means patients can get the care they need faster, potentially saving lives. However, digitalising this data exposes it to criminals online with no concern for caring nurses and doctors looking after patients and are only interested in stealing data in order to sell it.

About 81% of UK healthcare companies suffered a ransomware attack in 2021*4 and the most common way of delivering ransomware is through emails. Being infected with ransomware allows criminals to take control of your data and demand for payments in exchange for giving your data back. Sadly, this costs healthcare companies lots of money through paying criminals or losing highly valuable data needed for the company to function.

 It is reported on the dark web a single healthcare record can be worth up to $250 compared to payment card information which is only $5.40*2. It is undeniable the data you hold is valuable and we all know valuable things need to be protected and taken care of, it is imperative your email system is safe and secure as 92% of malware is delivered by email*3 making it the favourite point of attack for cyber criminals. By using Email Protection, you can have full confidence that your email system is safe from nasty cyber criminals looking to steal your valuable data.

Healthy system, healthy patients

Keeping your system up and running helps in looking after patients. Medical devices such as modern defibrillators, insulin pumps and X-rays can all be hacked and taken control of once your system is compromised. This means medical personnel may be prevented from using lifesaving equipment when it is needed. By keeping your system safe and healthy you can ensure your patients continue to get the care they need for recovery and that you can keep functioning as a business.

Due to the sheer amount of malicious software being directed towards healthcare businesses through emails, whether it be harmful links in emails disguised as medical packs or malicious documents posing as important information like appointment times, there needs to be a well-designed email protection system in place to enhance your level of cyber security. Emails do allow you to communicate much faster with colleagues and patients but practitioners must also ensure that if they choose to communicate via email, they comply with statutory regulations such as the Data Protection Act (2018) when storing emails or using patients’ contact details. *5

The X-Rays used by healthcare practitioners are great at scanning for problems, like wise our Perception Point X-Ray Technology automatically scans all organizational content-exchange channels to map the extent of the possible breaches across users. Within minutes, x-ray actively remediates and contains the incident to prevent further spread of the computer virus. The x-ray insights provide a view of the threats faced across the organisation and forensics of each email which is made available on the Email Protection Perception Point dashboard. This allows us to monitor your email traffic and be proactive in stopping harmful emails from compromising your system causing huge corporate damages.

Pandemic Attacks

We know during the covid-19 pandemic hospitals were put under huge amounts of strain. To make matters worse the number of cyber-attacks surged during this difficult period. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), working in partnership with NHS Digital, responded to more than 200 major cyber-attacks related to Covid-19 in the first months of the pandemic. *6   In order to deal with this rise in cyber-crimes it is important to integrate effective security solutions into your system like Email Protection.

Our anti-phishing, anti-spoofing and anti-evasion technology unravels even the most deeply embedded malicious links hidden in emails and effectively deals with them. Emails posing as genuine companies or patients are increasing in number and quality making it more likely healthcare staff will make the ultimate mistake of accidently downloading malware or sending confidential information to the wrong person. Luckily Email Protection is here for you to deal with the sheer volume of malicious and spam emails coming your way, ensuring that your email inbox maintain its digital hygiene and you can continue to use your emails without any security concerns.    

References

*1- https://www.amazingsupport.co.uk/the-top-5-industries-vulnerable-to-cyber-attack/

*2- https://healthitsecurity.com/features/top-healthcare-cybersecurity-challenges-how-to-overcome-them

*3- https://purplesec.us/resources/cyber-security-statistics/

*4- https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/healthcare-ransomware-last-year/

*5- https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/nurse-managers/communicating-with-patients-using-email-and-the-internet-19-02-2008/

*6- https://www.raconteur.net/technology/cybersecurity/healthcare-cios-battle-covid-cybercrime/

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