1. Confidentiality - Keeping sensitive information private and protecting it from unauthorized access.

2. Integrity - Ensuring information is accurate and free from tampering.

3. Availability - The accessibility of information by authorized users.

• Things they have: ID badges or some other item that is in a person's physical possession

• Things they know: password, PIN number, some other personal information

• Things they are: biometric data, such as fingerprint, facial scan, retina scan, speech pattern

Organizations use a combination of these factors, or multifactor authentication (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2022).

Portable devices, however, are also prone to security threats listed above. There are interventions that can assist in preventing breaches of sensitive patient information.

o   These computers, along with being connected with each other, can also be connected to other computers outside the network. This is where breaches in the network can occur and expose data to unapproved users.

o   Why is healthcare such a gigantic target for cybersecurity attacks? In the study published by Alanazi (2023), the author states that “by 2025 it is estimated that the global cost of personal data theft and data loss will be $10 trillion annually.” Personal data can be used for identity theft, insurance fraud, financial fraud, blackmail, and many more malicious activities.

• Malware

• Ransomware

• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

• Spam and Phishing

• Corporate Account Takeover (CATO)

Health Information Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996

• One of the main goals of HIPAA is to maintain the privacy and security of health information.

• Electronic protected health information (e-PHI) is considered any “identifiable information a covered entity creates, receives, maintains or transmits in electronic form (HHS, 2022)."

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009

• The government provided monetary incentives to hospitals and providers to adopt Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and move away from paper records.

• This act also called for improving privacy and security protections for healthcare data.

• In a way, HITECH strengthened HIPAA by expanding the scope of privacy and security protections for health information.

• Requires notification when there is a breach of information (Burde, 2011).

A recent new technology has revolutionized the finance sector, and it has the potential to do the same in the healthcare sector. Blockchain technology is “a digital database containing a record of transactions, maintained across several computers linked in a network that can be simultaneously used and shared with a large, decentralized (peer-to-peer) publicly accessible network (McMonigle & Mastrian, 2022).” The “block” creates a record which cannot be altered. There are several benefits of blockchain technology as listed by McGonigle and Mastrian (2022):

• Decentralized management and use of peer-to-peer networks

• Audit trail created with each block that is timestamped

• Data is easily tracked

• Allows interoperability within authorized users of the healthcare system

• Strengthens privacy and security

• Antivirus Software

  o Scan files in the computer for malicious software.

• Firewall

  o Monitors traffic and allows or blocks certain traffic depending on security rules.

• Proxy Servers

  o Masks the connection between the user and the server.

• Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

  o Monitors who access certain files in the network and alerts about unauthorized attempts to access the network.

• A firewall is a network security device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.

• Purpose: Firewalls are designed to protect networks from unauthorized access, cyber attacks, and malware.

  
  

Types of Firewalls

Packet-Filtering Firewalls:

• Analyzes packets in isolation without inspecting the contents.

• Filters based on source and destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols.

Stateful Inspection Firewalls:

• Monitors active connections and tracks the state of network traffic.

• Provides more security by understanding the context of data packets.

Proxy Firewalls:

• Acts as an intermediary between users and the internet.

• Filters requests and responses, adding an extra layer of protection.

Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW):

• Combines traditional firewall capabilities with advanced features like deep packet inspection and intrusion prevention systems.

• Offers more comprehensive security by addressing modern threats.

Unified Threat Management (UTM) Firewalls:

• Integrates multiple security features into a single device, including firewall, antivirus, anti-spam, and VPN.

• Simplifies security management and reduces complexity.

• Java vulnerabilities account for 91% of all web exploits.

• Antivirus software specifically designed to detect Java Archive (JAR) malware can significantly reduce these risks.

High Detection Accuracy with AI:

• AI-based antivirus software achieves a detection accuracy of 91.58% for distinguishing between benign and malicious JAR files.

• Traditional commercial antivirus software only detects about 34.95% of such malware on average.

Dynamic and Proactive Threat Detection:

• AI-based systems use dynamic analysis to effectively counter obfuscation techniques used by malware developers.

• Proactive detection methods ensure that even new and evolving threats are identified and neutralized promptly.

Significance:

• Enhanced Security: Ensures comprehensive protection against a wide range of malware, reducing the risk of data breaches and system infections.

• Adaptability: AI-driven antivirus software adapts to new threats, providing ongoing protection without the need for constant manual updates.

• Reliability: High detection rates and the ability to catch previously undetected variants make AI-based antivirus solutions more reliable than traditional methods.

Functionality:

• Privacy: Masks the client's IP address, providing anonymity.

• Security: Filters incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking malicious content.

• Performance: Caches frequently accessed resources, reducing bandwidth usage.

Network-based IDS (NIDS)

Host-based IDS (HIDS)

NIDS monitors network traffic for unusual patterns, while HIDS analyzes activities on individual devices. By providing real-time monitoring and alerting, IDS helps organizations detect and respond to potential security breaches promptly (Kumar et al., 2021).

• Install malware/ransomware

• Compromise your account

• Steal personal identity/credentials

It is imperative to understand what these emails truly are, an attempt to cause harm to you and the network you are connected to.

DO NOT EVER CLICK ON ANY LINKS FROM EMAILS LIKE THESE!

John, a new hire to fill a critical role within the hospital, has been on the job for two weeks and has access to the network. Unfortunately, he did not receive proper cyber awareness training during his orientation. John receives an email, stating it is from the IT department and that he needs to update his login credentials. So, he does what the email asks and inputs his credentials. Unbeknownst to John, he just handed the keys to the hospital’s network to cybercriminals.

A single instance of human error compromised all of the hard work by you and the IT team to secure the hospital's network.

Staff education and training is an important aspect of cybersecurity. The human factor will continue to be exploited by cybercriminals who desire to gain access to sensitive patient information. Implementing staff training is a way to combat cyber threats and maintain a safe network that is free from vulnerabilities caused by human error. By equipping employees with the knowledge and skills to recognize common cyber threats, organizations can reduce the risk of breaches.

• Introduction

• Cybersecurity Video Link

• Threats to Security

• Security Tools

• Question #1

Allan Ganuza

• Antivirus Software

• Firewall

• Proxy Servers

• Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)

Marcie Hayden

• Authenticating Users Section

• Multi-Factor Authentication Video Link

Abigail Grego

• HIPAA Overview Web Link

• Question #3

JP Lima

• Key Laws

• HITECH Overview Web Link

• Network Security Section

• Common Types of Cyber Threats

• Phishing Email Example

• Security Tools (Cont.)

• Investing in Staff Training

• Investing in Staff Training (Cont.)

• Portable Devices Section

• Question #2 and #4