10 Essential Healthcare Data Protection Practices: Staying Compliant and Secure in 2024

Protecting healthcare data is one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare providers today. With sensitive information becoming a prime target for cybercriminals, healthcare organizations are under increasing pressure to not just comply with regulations like HIPAA, but to truly secure patient data. In India, where the healthcare sector is rapidly digitalizing, the risks are just as real. Data breaches aren't just about penalties—they affect trust, patient care, and the reputation of clinics and hospitals. 

With increasing regulatory pressures, healthcare organizations that proactively adopt best practices for data security stand a better chance of staying compliant and reducing the risk of costly breaches. 

In this blog, we’ll break down 10 practical steps you can take to secure healthcare data, ensuring compliance and keeping patient information safe in 2024.

Why is healthcare data targeted at risk of cyber-attacks?

Medical data is sensitive

Hospitals generally have large amounts of data which is highly confidential and contains sensitive information. So, it is usually worth a lot of money, thus prompting attackers to target this data.

Outdated technology

Most hospitals still use legacy systems, which often act as easy targets for attackers due to vulnerabilities that haven’t been addressed.

Remote access of data

Many medical professionals access healthcare data through mobile devices, increasing the chances of cyberattacks by stealing passwords or the device itself.

Medical devices offer multiple entry points

Hospitals and clinics often have multiple medical devices which are installed with no security measures in place. Attackers can easily gain access to the server and other assets through these devices.

Most Common Healthcare Data Threats

Phishing

Phishing is a technique where a hacker tricks someone into revealing sensitive data by pretending to be a legitimate friend, colleague, or professional. The most common type of phishing that plagues the healthcare industry is email phishing.

Healthcare professionals are particularly vulnerable to such attacks owing to their busy schedules, which prevent them from performing proper verification before sharing data.

Ransomware attacks

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks users out of their systems or data until they pay a ransom. Healthcare organizations are common targets of such attacks because of the sensitive nature of the patient data, making them more likely to pay. These attacks can disrupt operations, delay treatments, and may lead to permanent data loss if backups are not available.

Data breaches

During a data breach, hackers access and disclose data online or use it to extort a healthcare company. Data breaches are one of the most prevalent and damaging threats faced by the healthcare industry.

DDoS attacks

A DDoS attack targets web servers. It involves making multiple false requests to a server, causing it to crash and interrupting its normal operation.  In healthcare, this kind of attack can have critical consequences, as it can disrupt essential services like accessing electronic health records (EHRs), managing appointments, and even telemedicine consultations.

Essential Healthcare Data Protection Strategies

To stay ahead of potential data breaches, healthcare organizations should implement multi-layered security measures that address threats to privacy and data protection at every stage, from endpoints to the cloud. Here are the 10 best practices for healthcare cybersecurity:

Educating Healthcare Staff: One of the most common causes of data breaches in healthcare industry is the lack of proper staff training. It is essential to train the employees on how to identify phishing attacks, how to create secure passwords and browse internet safely. Providing cybersecurity education will equip the staff to take informed decisions and handle patient data responsibly.

Restricting Data and Application Access: Role-based access controls ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive information. It will ensure that only the roles that need access to a certain data to perform their job will be able to access it. This will limit the amount of data that gets compromised even if one employees account is compromised eliminating the possibility of a full data breach.

Monitoring Use: Keeping detailed logs of who accesses what data, when, and from where is critical for auditing and identifying any suspicious activity. When incidents occur, these logs provide valuable insights into vulnerabilities.

Encrypting Data: Encryption is a powerful tool for securing healthcare data. Once data is encrypted, it is converted into a code that can be read only with a proper decryption key. This will safeguard patient data from unauthorized access and patient safety.

Data Retention scheduling: Storing unnecessary data can increase the chances of data breaches. It is essential to define how long healthcare data should be stored and when to erase unwanted data. Removing unused historical data will also reduce the amount of data that can get stolen. The destruction of data should be done securely to prevent data recovery. It should be systematically performed under strict surveillance and only by people with authorized access.

Secure Mobile Devices: The increasing use of mobile devices by healthcare providers introduces additional security risks. The type of information that can be stored in mobile devices should be specified. It is also essential to use strong passwords, and encrypt  sensitive information. 

Implement Multi-Factor authentication: In this method, users have to go through multiple stages of validation to ensure that they are the authorized person to access the specific healthcare data. When multifactor authentication is implemented, users will be able to access the data only after providing an information that only the user will know such as a unique password or pin or biometric authentication.

Frequently upgrade software and hardware: Many clinics still use outdated hardware and software with minimal protection against attacks and threats putting patient data at risk. Apart from this, the increased use of Internet of Things (IoT) makes it easier for hackers to access data. To reduce these risks, it is essential to frequently perform software and hardware updates. IoT devices should be placed on separate networks, monitored for unusual activity, and kept up-to-date with the latest security patches.

Conducting Regular Risk Assessments: Routine risk assessments help identify weaknesses in an organization’s security framework, from employee training gaps to vulnerabilities in vendor systems.

Evaluating third-party compliance: When patient data is shared among cloud service providers and business associates, it increases the risk of breaches. All agreements and contracts with third-party vendors must strictly meet HIPAA standards.

Prioritizing privacy and safeguarding sensitive information not only helps avoid costly penalties but also builds trust with patients, ensuring their data remains secure. By doing so, healthcare providers can stay prepared for potential threats and continue delivering quality care.