PHI is protected by HIPAA Technical Safeguards, which are a crucial component of any HIPAA Security programme. A significant component of HIPAA is the use of cybersecurity to secure EPHI.
Key defences that assist in maintaining the security of EPHI as the internet evolves include technical measures. Protecting digitally protected health information is one of the biggest problems that healthcare organisations have (EPHI).
Electronic health records are protected from a variety of internal and external dangers. Covered entities must establish technical measures in order to minimise threats to EPHI and should protect PHI.
Below are the way to use cybersecurity to protect PHI.
Maintain And Train On A Data Breach Response Plan/Policy
The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, 45 CFR 164.400-414, provides specifics on what healthcare institutions must do in the event of a breach. However, there are a lot of steps that you should have at your disposal. In the case of a breach, you must be able to quickly put them into action.
A well-thought-out and tried-and-true health data breach plan is vital. The development and testing of this plan should involve input from numerous organisational departments. Additionally, they need to be informed of their duties beforehand so they know what to do in the event of a breach.
Keep your software updated
Outdated or unpatched software is one of the largest security gaps for protected health information. Periodically, software is updated to include new features and functions. But security and risk mitigation are key factors in software updates.
Software producers are aware that they need a reliable software update notification mechanism in order to lower enterprise risk.
Customers using this software will have to manually upgrade or enable/allow automatic updates. This requires the business IT organisation to either manage the update path for users or make sure they do so.
Review Vendor Hardware And Virtual Devices Regularly
Yes, there are outlandish rumours about counterfeit electronics or hardware with malware hidden in it. No, those occurrences are not exclusive to spy thrillers. They might actually occur in the real world. These aren’t, however, the most frequent issues with hardware and virtual devices.
Appliance devices or virtual devices that lose support are more frequent. Either the OEM has ceased to exist or the company neglected to renew support, which typically includes updates.
Serious security holes appear when support and software are outdated. Instead of James Bond placing a USB drive into a computer at Fort Knox, these are the kinds of vulnerabilities we see.
Enforce Strong Password Policies On All Systems
Many of us have been around long enough to remember when the password had to be changed at least once every 30 or 60 days, and we still bear the scars.
However, your first line of defence against a possible attacker is a strong, clever password policy. It is the base of your security strategy.