Managing advanced healthcare threats in a new digital era
Socura has launched the second annual insights paper exploring the changing cyber security landscape in health and care organisations in the UK, with a specific focus on the NHS. The health and care industry has been inundated with headlines regarding repeated vulnerabilities and cyber attacks, coupled with the rise in demand for digital services, which means that cyber
security is no longer just a concern for the IT department, but can pose a serious threat to a company’s performance and brand reputation. Information security is now a Board priority.
Jamie Brummell, CTO and Founder of Socura, explains: “No industry is immune to threat actors and the healthcare industry is in fact further disadvantaged. A rise in telehealth has fuelled an expanding attack surface, with more practitioners needing secure remote access to patient records, against a backdrop of threat actors intentionally targeting health data more than ever.”
The NHS has come a long way with its cyber security posture under incredibly challenging conditions. Whilst best practices that comprise good IT hygiene, like prompt patching and effective antivirus are far more commonplace than they were in previous years, adversaries have also been honing their skills and adapting their tactics with ample support from a vast cyber crime economy.
From ransomware attacks with the potential to cripple back-office operations and expose patient data, to more sinister ‘killware’ that can compromise vital healthcare equipment – and in turn patients – the past two years have introduced a wave of new threats that healthcare providers must address. Data theft, hijacked devices, crypto-mining and other threats all add to the burden on already stretched IT security teams.
Effective cyber security practices are no longer a bolt-on or an afterthought, but an imperative.
Over the course of this paper we’ll take a closer look at some of the key challenges facing NHS leaders and we’ll detail how certain approaches can help to drive continuous proactive protection, rapid incident response and more efficient allocation of resources.
About Socura
We’re here to help make the digital world a safer place and change the way organisations think about cyber security. We blend our technical expertise and industry experience with a people-centric approach and work right alongside our clients to guide them along their cyber security journey.
With innovation in our DNA, we’re building a culture that challenges the status quo and pushes the boundaries to deliver high-value cyber security services for our clients. We believe that standing alongside our clients, and the wider cyber community, and doing the right thing is what gets the best results for our business.