Pause for a moment and consider how much of your health information is online: information you’ve provided via portals to your doctor’s offices, insurance companies, pharmacies, clinical service organizations for blood work, body scans and so on. A staggering amount of your health-related information is now digital in the cloud potentially creating a data security risk.
From insurance plans to prescription information, the amount of sensitive data that is held by health companies will continue to rise, making it an even bigger target for exposure by threat actors in the future. How much? The healthcare sector generates more than 19 terabytes of clinical data alone each year.
The potential for your health data being exposed is greater than you think
With so much of your personal healthcare and related data at risk online, it’s important to have a means to protect it. This is no easy task, as your number of usernames and portal passwords continue to proliferate. About 90% of healthcare providers use medical portals for electronic healthcare records and schedule management, and nearly 60% of patients share information virtually.
It is also important to be mindful of where this information is being shared. For example, how is your family’s health data shared with your children’s school? Is an unencrypted email with a scanned medical record really the safest method in 2022? This information needs to be secured, much like your other PII, or your family’s private information risks exposure.
It’s no wonder why healthcare data is the key target for most ransomware attacks. While there are numerous rules and regulations to protect patient privacy, cyber security measures to protect data confidentiality are still inadequate.
If you still rely on outdated methods to secure this data, it’s time for your annual check-up. Learn two reasons why you should secure your data today.
There is more to your Protected Health Information (PHI) than just your healthcare records
There’s some pretty personal information tied up in your medical records. But this information far exceeds your medical history or patient data; it includes your insurance and financial information, as well. That means your social security number, address history or even the names of next of kin could all be at risk. Such a wealth of data can be monetized by cyber adversaries in many ways. For instance, a report released by Carbon Black indicates that you can buy fake prescriptions, labels, sales receipts and stolen healthcare cards for between $10 and $120, while you can view listings for stolen health insurance information for $3.25 or less.
Ensure your PHI’s life expectancy
When personally identifiable information (PII) is exposed, victims can often terminate or change the affected accounts. For instance, you can simply cancel a stolen or compromised credit card, but the same cannot be said for your PHI. Your medical history cannot be canceled or changed; it stays with you for a lifetime. This means one data leak could render several consequences, like a recurring prescription charge or multiple medical procedures.
You protected health data is overdue for a check-up
Even in this digital age, the patient-doctor relationship is still the most important aspect of our healthcare system, but trust remains key. You shouldn’t have to worry if your personal data will become compromised, and your healthcare providers shouldn’t be concerned that you’re withholding crucial information.
Just like certain medications can regulate your body, you need a solution that will regulate your data. EB Control prevents attacks before they happen, giving you the ability to decide who can access your data, when and where it can be accessed and how it can be accessed. Click here to learn how a dose of EB Control can keep your PHI happy, healthy and exposure-free.