Though this is not a new type of attack, the disturbance caused by ransomware reached new levels in 2021. About 37% of companies experienced a ransomware attack last year.

Advances in Healthcare Cybersecurity

Modern healthcare and technology are extremely interlinked with each other. It is difficult to run a healthcare organization without relying on information technology in today’s world. Like other IT advancements, this has associated risks like malware infection, unauthorized system access, and data corruption.

Here are some vital tips to take your healthcare cybersecurity to the next level.

Passwordless Authentication

Currently, passwords are the source of 81% of data breaches. Password-only protection or even two-factor authentication (2FA) is no longer enough to safeguard data, systems, or networks. It has become a cakewalk for attackers to gain access, steal, and compromise vital data of an organization.

Therefore, companies started using passwordless authentication. With this advancement, people are no longer required to remember passwords and constantly change them. It is achieved by using advanced authentication methods combined with risk-based analysis. This authentication is basically a combination of authentication methods like biometrics, mobile app, and multilayered risk analysis such as device recognition, IP reputation, and behavior analytics.

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)

SASE represents a model that defines security as network functionality and cloud service delivered. It could also be defined as a managed service package managed via the cloud. SASE consolidates network and security solutions from different vendors.

Single-vendor solutions offer better integration and centralized management. It simplifies implementation, configuration, reporting, and support services. Because SASE architectures require migration of security functions to the cloud, less hardware is required overall, which improves the architecture’s elasticity and scalability.

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

ZTNA is a set of functionalities and technologies that enables secure remote access to internal apps. It gives remote users secure, seamless connectivity to private applications without placing them on the network. In contrast to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), no tunnels are set up between the client and the central company network, but dedicated application connections are established.

It offers a way to connect applications, users, and data, even when they are not using the company’s network, where micro-services-based applications can reside on multiple clouds and on-premises.

Emerging Technology

Technologies in healthcare have changed how health is measured, managed, and ensured. With the new challenges facing healthcare, these solutions help companies by increasing performance, improving system collaboration, and controlling costs. As the demands on healthcare organizations increase, technology can streamline processes, automate tasks, and improve workflows on a scale that humans alone cannot achieve. Here are two of the emerging technology in healthcare cybersecurity:

Homomorphic Encryption

Homomorphic encryption is a type of encryption that helps computation by converting it to ciphertext to ensure the originality of knowledge during transmission. According to the report published by Marketing Research Future (MRFR), the global homomorphic encryption market is expected to expand at a remarkable CAGR of 7.55% during the forecast period 2016-2027 and the valuation of USD 268.3 million to the top of the forecast period will be successful.

It has enormous potential, especially when it comes to data in the cloud. Currently, the data must first be decrypted before calculations can be performed on them. And while they are decrypted, they are vulnerable to hacking. On the other hand, homomorphic encryption is used to avoid the decryption step, and data protection is guaranteed.

Homomorphic encryption does not affect the results obtained when performing calculations on encrypted data. The results are the same as for analysis based on decrypted data.

Blockchain

A blockchain is a distributed, public database having no central control authority and still meets various information security requirements, such as integrity and availability. New records in the database are added as blocks at the end of previous records, creating a kind of chain. Each block contains the checksum of the past block, which ensures that the chain cannot be easily manipulated.

Blockchain technology can be used to better control the quality of medicines since the entire production chain, from manufacture to temperature fluctuations and the transport route to delivery to pharmacies could be monitored and stored in the blockchain. The result is if the cold chain is not maintained, the drug will not be delivered. Regardless, pharmaceutical companies could assign each drug a QR code that patients can scan to verify its authenticity. It would not be impossible to falsify this, but it would be much more complex than it has been up to now.

Ransomware in 2022 and How to Prepare

The term “ransomware” has already characterized the year 2021 and has thus increasingly appeared in the media. In the USA alone, targeted ransomware attacks demanded more than 500 million dollars in ransom with blackmail Trojans in the first half of the year. It is a type of malware in which attackers try to penetrate a company’s network to gain complete control.

On successful completion, the data is usually encrypted, and companies are blackmailed for a ransom demand in the form of cryptocurrencies. The blackmail Trojan is extremely popular with criminals, especially because of the increasing number of remote and hybrid working models.

To protect against ransomware, organizations should be proactive and develop a cybersecurity plan against malware. Since it is very difficult to detect and combat ransomware, you should use various protective mechanisms. The most important protection is the training and sensitization of employees. Only those who know that ransomware exists and how it works can also recognize such attacks. Good spam filters, frequent data backups, and keeping systems updated are some ways to prepare against ransomware.

Key Takeaways

All healthcare cybersecurity trends of 2022 have one thing in common: Modern companies not only want to – they have to use new, and innovative technologies. They are looking for solutions that will advance their business. Security is an important part of this trend and is of utmost priority.