The recent cyberattack on Ascension Medical, Change Healthcare and several UK hospitals is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within the healthcare sector.
The May 8, 2024, attack disrupted access to Electronic Health Records (EHR) for two weeks across Ascension's 140-hospital system, forced some hospitals to divert ambulances and rely on manual record-keeping, and has led to patient class-action lawsuits regarding potential data exposure.
Ascension hasn't confirmed if the attacker stole any data, but it is obligated to notify patients if sensitive information has been compromised. The attack was so severe that Ascension is still restoring its systems, and the investigation into the full scope of the attack is ongoing.
For further evidence of the severity of attacks striking the healthcare industry, go back just a few months to February 2024 and look at the damage done to UnitedHealthcare Group's (UHG) Change Healthcare subsidiary. The attack forced UHG to take down and rebuild its systems from scratch, which resulted in an across-the-board outage of the company's services. The letter noted that the company restored some of these services in weeks, but others stayed offline for more than two months.
This attack greatly impacted Change's clients and a large portion of the healthcare ecosystem, with companies that relied on Change not getting paid, forcing them to take out loans or use reserve funds to function.
Trustwave is a major player in healthcare security and has built-in policies to protect specific EHR and related data stores used by vendors like Compass and Epic. Healthcare-focused policies focus on the largest categories of threat vectors exploiting lax password management and ineffective patching practices. EHR systems are complex, and due to their criticality, the available windows for security activities are very limited.
Trustwave designed DbProtect to proactively highlight sensitive data locations and the most toxic combinations of potential threat vectors. This actionable data risk insight allows immediate lockdown using security access controls and prioritizing elements of the vulnerability management lifecycle that don't purely rely on low MTTP metrics.
Complementary to DbProtect for running a proactive data security program, with offensive security, potential attackers' tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) are emulated to identify and remediate vulnerabilities before a threat actor can exploit them. It's not about attacking; it's about testing defenses in a controlled manner to strengthen the security posture, generally through penetration tests and Red Team exercises
As organizations' weak points are detected, Trustwave can add to and refine controls that are part of DbProtect's security policies.
While DbProtect offers a powerful foundation, a holistic approach is crucial. Trustwave can assist with essential security measures such as effective User Awareness Training to educate staff on phishing scams and other social engineering tactics that can significantly reduce the risk of breaches initiated through human error. After all, over 80% of attacks begin with phishing attacks.
Staying up to date with security patches for all systems and software is also vital to eliminating vulnerabilities exploited by attackers. Finally, compliance support.Trustwave can help ensure your organization adheres to HIPAA and HITECH regulations, further safeguarding patient data.
By partnering with Trustwave, healthcare providers can gain a comprehensive security strategy that goes beyond reacting to breaches. We offer proactive protection, continuous improvement, and the expertise to navigate the complex world of healthcare cybersecurity.
Let Trustwave be your trusted partner in safeguarding patient data and ensuring the integrity of your healthcare systems.