Prevent Ransomware Attacks in the healthcare industry have grown to be a serious problem. So, the following advice will assist you in preventing these Attacks from having an impact on your company:
Train Employees On Phishing And Data Risks
Train employees to identify phishing scams and promptly alert IT. The purpose of teaching employees what a “typical” phishing email looks like is to assist them in identifying the many ways that a cybercriminal can attempt to fool them into clicking on a link or attachment.
The most common types of phishing attacks includes:
- Forged email addresses that seem similar but aren’t genuinely from the domain name of your company
- messages asking for personal information that employees shouldn’t respond to without first using another way to confirm its validation (such as an authorized phone call or text message).
Healthcare businesses should employ practices that offer examples of real-life scenarios created around the demands of many sectors, including the healthcare industry, to ensure adequate training.
Conduct Vulnerability Assessments
You must be aware of your weaknesses if you want to prevent ransomware Attacks. A vulnerability assessment helps find and fix any cybersecurity holes. Periodic vulnerability assessments are crucial for healthcare organizations because they provide you the chance to find out about possible security flaws from your staff or outside sources.
Make sure the internal team conducting the assessment has expertise in carrying out such evaluations and is aware of the best practices to adhere to when discussing the results with senior leadership. Nonetheless, to identify and address the particular risks facing the business, most healthcare institutions frequently need to engage the services of a professional provider like Truenorth ITG and others.
While performing a vulnerability assessment, keep the following things in mind:
Select an outsider with experience in this field to ensure that the results are impartial and objective.
Find out if they will provide suggestions or identify possible problems. Some providers charge more than others, but their services may be less valuable because they don’t offer specific instructions on how to resolve identified problems.
Implement Multi-Factor Authentication For Email, Remote Systems, And Everywhere Else
A security measure known as multi-factor authentication demands two or more forms of identification before allowing access to a system. This can entail employing a fingerprint and a password in addition to other techniques.
Currently, multi-factor authentication is not used by the great majority of healthcare companies for remote systems or email. This implies that they lack a common method for enforcing tougher password policies and guarding against network connection man-in-the-middle attacks.
This means that if someone manages to get their one password, many healthcare companies become open to Attacks. Multi-factor authentication techniques reduce your risk of being hacked by requiring two or more authentication methods.
Encrypt Computers And Data
A crucial component of any cybersecurity plan is encryption. It may be applied to safeguard data when it’s in transit or at rest, which is another term for when information is being transmitted across a network. While data in transit refers to the same thing while it’s being transferred over the internet data at rest refers to data that is kept on a computer or server.
Encryption jumbles confidential data in both scenarios, rendering it unintelligible to anybody attempting to access it without the proper key or password. This means that even if someone steals your laptop and tries to access its contents from another computer, they won’t be able to read anything unless they use a specific file decryption program or guess/crack your password to decrypt the file.
Backup Critical Data
The most crucial defense to prevent ransomware attacks is data backup. Using a network storage system or external hard drive for data backup is the most popular method. Additionally, you may investigate cloud-based options that let you offload backups from a local server, lowering the possibility that you would lose important information in the event of a cyberattack.
If you decide to use these techniques for backup, you must verify the backups regularly to ensure that they function as intended. To ensure backups remain usable when needed, test them by restoring them at least once every few months.
Require Strong Passwords
One of your primary lines of protection against identity theft is a strong password, so don’t compromise on it. You cannot be certain that a password you use today won’t be hacked in the future, even if you believe it to be secure. Hackers may attempt your password on other websites if you use it for several accounts.
To prevent this type of attack:
- To create unique passwords for every account and have them automatically entered when needed, use a password manager. This way, hackers won’t be able to access other accounts without knowing your specific login information for each website separately, even if they manage to directly breach one account for example, by installing malware on your computer.
- When feasible, use a unique password for each login, such as your company email, social media accounts, and personal email. The better it is for websites that hold sensitive information to have as little overlap as possible.
Conclusion
As ransomware Attacks increase in frequency, healthcare institutions need to be ready to defend themselves. You may lessen your chance of being a victim of ransomware and other online attacks by implementing these precautions.