All the industries including healthcare, have integrated information technology with its operations. Of late, no business operation can be done without involving technology in it. The healthcare sector, in particular, deals with an extensive mass of data which becomes easy to be handled with the help of the latest data management technologies available with the IT tools. Hence, the healthcare sector can hardly survive without keeping dedicated IT techniques integrated with their daily operations.
However, with data and IT comes the threat of hacking and unfair practices, though strict rules recommended by HIPAA dominate the working of the healthcare sector and its IT laterals, complete eradication of potential data theft threats cannot be assured at every level. The systems can get infected by ransomware leading to the hazard of data theft. Hence, cybersecurity has become an absolute essential for the entire health sector to have. There are plenty of protocols and tools available with these cyber security norms and applications which effectively restrict data theft and unfair handling of health sector data.
However, the threat cannot be negated completely, and to ensure general awareness, OCR releases awareness and warnings from time to time to keep the related industry informed of the forthcoming dangers of data theft. The warning that OCR released in their spring issue of 2019 regarding the combined attack of ATP and Zero-day exploits is one such alert to keep the health care industry aware of the upcoming dangers. Surely if such an attack takes place, the future of the entire industry will be at stake.
What Are Zero-Day Exploits?
OCR has already signaled the possibility of a Zero-day Exploit that might hit the healthcare industry soon. Zero-Day Exploit refers to an external attack on the database of the health care sector the day when the systems get detected with suspicious ransomware. The worst part about the Zero-day Exploit is that it does not even provide time to the organizations to arrange for a suitable fix. Hence, the damage becomes evitable and unavoidable. The industry, even after knowing about the attack, feels helpless as they can do next to nothing to combat it. Hence, Zero-Day Exploits are regarded as one of the worst varieties of hacking done in the cybercrime world.
Zero-Day refers to software, firmware, or hardware that is not known to the manufacturers. Sometimes the cyber hackers make use of them to attack the systems of the health care sectors to steal the data deceitfully. This is known as Zero-Day Exploit and is an undesirable experience for any organization of the healthcare domain. OCR is suspecting such a cyber attack soon for the entire healthcare industry, and the organizations dealing with substantial data should, therefore, pull up their socks to ensure ample protection of the same.
Increase In Zero-Day Attacks In Recent Past
As the information technology domain is advancing at a never before pace, so is progressing the number of cybercrimes. There has been a substantial rise in the number of reported cases related to cybercrime in the recent past. If the recent records can be matched with the past ones, the astonishing trend can be observed clearly. Hence, cybercrime and especially Zero-day vulnerabilities are posing a great threat to the future and security of the health care sector that deals with the majority of the mass. This rise in cybercrime can result in inefficiency in data management and health care services in the long run from which the industry must be saved. The hackers are using advanced breakthrough techniques to abolish the security systems of which advanced persistent threat and Zero-Day exploits are the two most important and lethal weapons.
The Way Out Of Cyber Attacks
Keeping the healthcare industry data safe is essential. Also, there are ways in which the zero-day exploits can be handled. All you need to implement is promptness in installing the patches, the sooner the patches are introduced to the systems, and the faster will be the removal of the exploits. However, most of the patches for the zero-day vulnerabilities and their exploits get released soon after the vulnerability is released. Hence, keeping the software updated and ensuring a check on every network opening and access controls can be a steady way to battle this menace.
OCR has already made the industry aware of the potential of a combined attack including ATP, and zero-day exploits which would be even worse in nature and the IT professionals at the health sector units must remain aware and guarded to protect the data from such attacks.
At sepStream®, you will find enough updated techniques and tools that will be supportive of combat against any ransomware attack or combined attack. We offer affordable rates, upgraded tools, and objective solutions for all your cyber security-related issues. Our data protection standards abide by the norms set by HIPAA. Hence privacy and security of your data remain our primary lookout.