Importance Of Data Security For Medical Practices

Data Security is one of the major concerns for Medical Practices in Australia. As per OAIC report from Jan-June 2023, Australian Heath Sector was the highest be breached and reported.

The privacy of collected patient data is not only an ethical obligation for medical practices, but it is also goverened by data protection regulations, such as the Privacy Act and RACGP Compliace.

Compliance and avoiding penalties often mean getting help from the experts in the Medical IT Support Industry.

Cyberattacks have only gone up during the last 3-4 years especially during the pandemic as attackers have taken advantage of the disruption it has caused. Cybercriminals are often financially motivated and go after personal data that is a valuable commodity to sell on the Dark Web.

Another popular way to gain financially from cyberattacks is through ransomware. Once ransomware is introduced into any part of a networ, it spreads rapidly and can quickly take all the IT in a Medical Practice down.

Medical Practices in Australia are a popular target for ransomware and hacking of personal data becuse of the critical nature of their services. Being without access to digital medical records is not an option. If the provider does not have a good backup and recovery system that can be used to restore data, they often will pay the ransom out of desperation.

Why are medical practices a target for hackers?

They store highly sensitive data.
Some may have valuable intellectual property (research, vaccine fridge, etc.).
They deliver critical services.
Working in a high-pressure environment makes staff more likely to make IT security mistakes.
Medical practices must maintain public trust.

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How Are IT Networks in a Medical Practice Targeted

Any IT equipment e.g. Computers, servers, vaccine fridge and other devices that is connected to the internet has the potential to be hacked and cause a data compromise. In the healthcare field, there are many different types of internet-connected devices, from medical testing equipment to the tablets that doctors and other medical professionals carry around with them each day.

E.g. according to the research and reporting, vulnerabilities have been found in devices like implamantabke defibrillators and health record-connected hospital beds.

Once a vulnerability in the software or firmware for a medical device is found, the manufacturer will issue a security patch. But unfortunately, many of these are not installed at the local facility because the staff might fear that an update will cause disruption and take the device out of operation for a period of time.

The biggest trigger for the release of ransomware and other types of malware is phishing. Phishing targets human error, which is responsible for most data breaches. Clever phishing emails contain liks to malicious sites that can steal credentials or do "drive-by" downloads of malware into a person's laptop, desktop, or mobile device. This then spreads throughout any other devices connected to the network.

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How Does XpressteX Help Protect Your Practce from a Cyberattack?

Protecting your patient and company data from a breach means taking a multi-layered approach that matches all the different methods hackers use to get into a network.

Network Security & Monitoring

If your network is not continiously monitored for any signs of unwanted code, then an attacker can easily fly under the radar and get in. We keep a watchful eye on all your network traffic and have automated systems in place designed to catch network intruders and shut them down right away.

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RACGP Compliance

Protecting patient data and other sensitive information includes enacting a variety of data security protocols. This includes everything from encryption of transmitted files to strict access security and strong passwords.

You do not want to leave something as important as data privacy compliance to chance. We know RACGP and data regulations inside and out and can help you put systems in place to ensure compliance.

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IT Support & Ongoing Management

One reason that staff make costly cybersecurity mistake is that they do not have anyone to call for IT help or advice when they need it. XpressteX provides responsive support and can be a trusted advisor for everything from a questionable email to a Wi-Fi problem.

Ongoing management of your systems means that you do not have to worry about patches and updates interfering with your critical mission. Our technicians can plan an orderly installation of software and firmware updates to mitigate any disruption.

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Cloud Security & Practice in the Cloud

How do you switch to a flexible cloud environment for most of your processes while maintaining security? We can help you choose the right systems and customise a strong security configuration to ensure you can have the best of both worlds - airtights security with flexible anywhere access of your data and software.

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