Leading by Example at the HITRUST Annual Healthcare Cybersecurity Conference
Credit to Author: Blake Sutherland| Date: Thu, 04 May 2017 13:00:37 +0000
If we’ve learned anything from the past year in cybersecurity, it’s that cybercriminals do not discriminate when it comes to their victims. Hospital systems have been forced to shut down for crucial periods, denying patients vital treatment as healthcare organizations struggle to contain the ransomware epidemic spreading across the globe. It’s clear from new trends like this, and several big-name data breach incidents over recent years, that industry IT professionals are under increasing pressure to deal with a rising tide of online threats.
Trend Micro has been protecting healthcare customers for many years. But with threats on the rise, it’s more important than ever to provide expertise, support and protection wherever it’s needed. That’s why a host of our experts will be on hand at the HITRUST annual conference in Grapevine, Texas, May 8-11.
Challenges in healthcare
There were 377 reported healthcare data breach incidents in 2016, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. That represents over a third (34.5%) of all breaches last year. Other sources estimate the number of breaches in the industry to have doubled from 2015 to 2016. Whatever the exact figure, it’s clear that healthcare organizations are well and truly in the hackers’ firing line.
IT bosses in these organizations have a tricky challenge. On the one hand they need to keep mission critical systems up-and-running at all times, but on the other they must ensure patches are tested and applied to keep these systems secure and resilient. Their job is made all the harder due to the proliferation of cloud and mobile technologies which have helped improve service delivery and operational efficiency but also increased their attack surface.
As mentioned, hospitals in particular have been singled out by cybercriminals looking to make a quick buck from ransomware; many correctly assuming that they will be willing to pay above the odds to get key systems back online. But that’s not all. As a Trend Micro report earlier in the year revealed, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are increasingly sought-after on the black market as they combine financial data with personal info which is difficult to reset. This gives it a longer shelf life for fraudsters and opens the door for a wide variety of follow-on scams, from illegally procuring prescription drugs to filing false medical insurance claims and even fraudulent tax returns.
HITRUST 2017
Many big-name organizations in healthcare have been breached in recent years and tens of millions of records exposed. Yet smaller organizations are in just as much, if not more, danger, as many have limited resources to throw at the problem. That’s why Trend Micro is actively supporting the work of the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) in trying to raise cybersecurity standards in the industry through programs like CyberAid. Our Cloud Edge and Worry-Free solutions are being rolled out to healthcare organizations as part of the initiative.
It’s also why we’re delighted to share our expertise with attendees at the upcoming HITRUST 2017 conference in Texas from May 8-11.
Our outreach at the show includes:
Getting Started/Shared Responsibility Model
Panel debate featuring Trend Micro Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Ed Cabrera
Healthcare & the Dark Web – How the Underground Economy Harms You & Your Patients
Featuring Ed Cabrera and Elie Nasrallah, Director – Cyber Security Strategy, HITRUST
HITRUST CyberAid Security Program
Trend Micro Vice President, Blake Sutherland will be joined by Pamela Arora, Senior Vice President and CIO of Children’s Health in Dallas
Conferences like HITRUST 2017 offer a great opportunity for IT security professionals in the healthcare industry to network, learn, and share knowledge and best practice. But they also give stakeholders like Trend Micro a valuable opportunity to better understand what their pain points are, so we can continue to lead by example and support industry efforts to improve cybersecurity across the board.