India’s healthcare system is under threat from cybercriminals, warns a new study by Check Point Research. The report highlights that the healthcare sector is the most targeted industry, with smaller and more agile threat actors and ransomware groups causing the maximum number of cyber incidents in 2022.
As healthcare institutions increasingly adopt new-age technologies like AI, ML, and IoT, the need to reinforce security postures has become paramount. While these technologies bring accuracy to existing processes and ensure better health outcomes, they can also act as mediums for threat actors to compromise system security.
To minimize the impact of cyber incidents and secure the healthcare ecosystem, healthcare institutions must create a robust cybersecurity infrastructure, host educational workshops to drive awareness around cybersecurity, and report breaches in time. Cybersecurity experts advise associating with leading cybersecurity firms like Arete, performing regular security testing, and risk assessment to identify and bridge loopholes.
“The surge of cybersecurity breaches in India’s healthcare sector indicates the deteriorating status of our country’s healthcare infrastructure and the urgent need for a significant cybersecurity upgrade,” says a cybersecurity analyst.
“While technology-driven healthcare solutions are the way forward, underestimating threat actors’ targeting capabilities would be highly imprudent, given the rapid pace at which they evolve,” warns a cybersecurity expert.
“Associating with leading cybersecurity firms and introducing robust cybersecurity guidelines to secure the overall health ecosystem is the need of the hour,” recommends a healthcare industry veteran.
In conclusion, India’s healthcare system needs to act fast to safeguard patients’ records and ensure better health outcomes. A council of cyber experts who can conduct regular cybersecurity assessments, report breaches, and suggest best practices is undoubtedly the need of the hour to protect the healthcare ecosystem from cybercriminals.