Small Health Care Providers Face Increasing Cybersecurity Threats, Experts Warn

According to a recent article published on SmartBrief.com by Julia M. Johnson, small health care organizations are increasingly becoming attractive targets for cybercriminals. The article, which draws insights from a Fierce Healthcare webinar featuring Jamie Levy, director of adversary tactics at cybersecurity firm Huntress, highlights the growing vulnerability of smaller healthcare providers to cyber attacks.

Levy states, “A lot of these customers are pretty vulnerable because they are these smaller businesses, they don’t have cutting-edge technology, they haven’t locked down their systems, and there’s a low bar to entry.” This vulnerability is particularly concerning as cybersecurity platforms are often designed with larger organizations in mind, leaving smaller entities exposed.

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Evolving Threat Landscape

The article reports that cybercriminal behavior is constantly evolving, with ransomware attacks and compromised remote monitoring and management (RMM) platforms becoming increasingly prevalent in the healthcare sector. In 2023, ScreenConnect and Atera were identified as the two most commonly misused RMM systems.

Other emerging threats include:

• Credential dumping
• Misuse of cloud storage systems
• Business email account compromises

Levy emphasizes the dynamic nature of the threat landscape, noting, “As soon as one group of cybercriminals gets taken down by the authorities, new ones are always waiting to ‘move into the space’.”

Preventive Measures for Small Organizations

For small healthcare providers with limited resources, Levy recommends focusing on preventive measures. She advises, “Lock down your systems and keep them updated. Try to do the best practices to keep people out of your systems.”

Key recommendations include:

• Implementing an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution
• Keeping systems updated
• Following cybersecurity best practices

Levy stresses the importance of EDR solutions, stating, “Most businesses pretty much have to have an EDR solution. That gives you an insight into what’s going on because you can see the different processes that are running and resources they are accessing.”

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Protecting Against Third-Party Vulnerabilities

The article also addresses the risk of cyberattacks through vendor partnerships. Levy suggests using EDR solutions with quarantine options to isolate machines in case of a suspected breach through a third-party vendor.

The Role of Antivirus Software

While not a perfect solution, Levy emphasizes the continued importance of antivirus platforms like Microsoft Defender. She states, “It’s not a perfect solution, but it stops a lot of things. It’s definitely worthwhile keeping that turned on. It’s never going to be a 100% solution, but would you rather go without it?”

As cyber threats continue to evolve and target healthcare organizations of all sizes, the article underscores the importance of implementing robust cybersecurity measures and staying vigilant against potential threats.

Read the full article.