Importance of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector

Pharmaceutical giant Novartis fell victim to a cyberattack. (Clarín, June 2022)

54 gigabytes of data stolen from Consorci Sanitari Integral (CSI). (La Vanguardia, October 2022)

Cyberattacks shift to hospitals and administration, growing by 77% in Spain since the Russian invasion. (El Independiente, October 2022)

These are just a few of the headlines that have appeared throughout 2022 regarding cyberattacks and threats faced by the healthcare sector. It is a highly attractive target for cybercriminals due to the vast amount of data and sensitive user information it holds, such as medical reports, ID numbers, bank accounts, and more.

According to data from INCIBE, over 500 healthcare institutions have reported highly dangerous cyber incidents, with some cases costing over 4 million euros to resolve. These figures represent a 48% increase compared to 2021. However, it is worth noting that thanks to the work of specialized cybersecurity technology partners, more than 50,000 ransomware attempts against healthcare organizations have been prevented in 2022, highlighting the importance of having an internal or external department equipped with a team of cybersecurity experts.

Most Common Cybersecurity Issues in the Healthcare Sector

There are specific types of cyberattacks commonly used by cybercriminals to target organizations in the healthcare sector, including pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, laboratories, hospitals, and more. These attacks are known to have a higher success rate.

Let's discuss these attacks and explore the cybersecurity solutions that can be implemented to mitigate these threats.

Ransomware Attacks

According to this article, cybercriminals have targeted nearly 13,000 centers with ransomware, affecting around 49 million patient records. The estimated cost of these cyberattacks is $92 billion.

Ransomware is a type of malware that denies access to your own information and threatens to make your files inaccessible unless you pay the requested ransom.

In our ransomware guide, you can find more information on what it is, how to prevent it, and what to do if you fall victim to such an attack.

Trojans

Trojans are a type of cyberattack aimed at tricking users into performing specific actions to infect a system and obtain confidential information. Unlike ransomware, which blocks information to demand a ransom for its recovery, trojans are malicious software that disguises itself as legitimate, making it difficult for victims to detect. Users are then prompted to take certain actions (such as opening a link or downloading a file), which leads to system infection and data theft.

Trojans are commonly used for stealing banking information.

Spyware  

Spyware is malware used for espionage purposes. According to an article on consalud.es, "One of the most vulnerable areas to this type of attack is the Health Services of the autonomous communities, comprised of Primary Care and Hospital Care centers that generate millions of confidential patient data every day."

Pegasus is one of the most powerful software tools for espionage. It is a surveillance software created by the Israeli company NSO Group. Pegasus sends a message or makes a call to the targeted phone, thereby installing itself on the device.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks

DDoS attacks are another type of threat that can impact healthcare organizations.

DDoS attacks aim to disable a server, service, or infrastructure. In our article on DDoS attacks, you can find a detailed explanation of how they work and how to safeguard the security of your healthcare facility.

Security breaches are the main cause of a successful cyberattack.

These breaches can result from poor credential management, misconfigured cloud environments, outdated systems, lack of firewalls and endpoints, employee unawareness, absence of backups, among others.

Having a technology partner is the key to preventing data breaches and cyberattacks in the healthcare sector

If you want to avoid your pharmaceutical company, laboratory, hospital, etc., making headlines as a victim of a cyberattack, we recommend having a cybersecurity department, whether internal or external. They will help you keep cybercriminals at bay and protect your information, as well as that of your patients, collaborators, and employees.

What can we do for you at ESED?

At ESED, as cybersecurity specialists, we believe that the best defense is a proactive offense. We work with a strategy known as ESED Defense, which consists of two main components: ESED Attack, where controlled attacks are launched on a system to assess its cybersecurity level, and ESED Training, where we train your team to detect potential threats in order to prevent actions that could jeopardize the security and information of the company.

In addition, we conduct a comprehensive audit of your IT infrastructure to assess its current state and develop a tailored cybersecurity strategy based on your specific needs.

The implementation of endpoints, firewalls, anti-phishing solutions, credential managers, and regular backups are essential to ensure the security of a system.

If you wish, you can also request a  free audit, where we will address all your doubts and questions. We'll be happy to assist you.