Network Security
Computer networks are often exposed to malware threats or even the data stored in them being manipulated or lost. With this, network security is essential to ensure that the information is secured. So what exactly is network security? Closer examining network security, it could be stated as a term that is broad and which tends to incorporate several technologies, processes, and devices. It is described as a subset of configuration and rules that are meant to offer protection, integrity, accessibility, and confidentiality of the computer networks and information by employing the use of both the technologies of hardware and software. In this section, we will discuss the network tools that are available to reduce cyber threats and how they have applied appropriately so that they can function effectively.
In a healthcare organization, there are numerous healthcare services. An organization depends on the intangible assets present to create the value of the business, such as medical records, licenses, and certifications, patient information data systems, personal computers, and others. These assets are of great value to any organization. Medical records contain some basics, such as a person’s name and their date birth. In these records, there are also results indicating the medical tests, medicines, treatment given, and any information revealed by the doctor concerning a person’s health. As such, it is a crucial asset that needs to safeguard from landing into unauthorized hands. The patient information data system is an asset that allows the health systems to personalize treatments, advance treatment methods, and give the doctors and patients a chance to improve their communication. Personal computers in a healthcare system are assets that the hospital staff is dependent on to access any information concerning the organization. They are also used by the physicians to manage and maintain information on a patient’s record.
Some internal or external events tend to harm the quality of the services offered in healthcare, commonly referred to as threats. It is usually someone o something that has the ability or potential to cause harm. On the other hand, vulnerabilities are weaknesses that are likely to cause harm when exposed or reveled to a threat. The critical assets in a healthcare organization, at times, tend to have threats and vulnerabilities. So which are these specific assets, and how are they harmed? The primary threat that occurs is the loss or theft of essential data from healthcare. The vulnerability is the lack of encryption of the essential data, which gives access to unauthorized hands to gain access to them. The other vulnerability is the failure to have an inventory for assets to keep track of the data.
The other threat is the attack on medical devices that are likely to affect patient safety. The vulnerability for this is the existence of patches that are not implemented immediately, responsible for maintaining the medical devices. The other common threat is the E-mail phishing attack, where a worker is tricked by another person to give essential information via the email. The vulnerability for this is the lack of adequate awareness from the worker and the organization’s failure to have a validation tool for e-mail sender.
In a healthcare setup, there are many risks that the organization, patients, and the workers are exposed to as they carry their daily activities. For this reason, risk analysis is essential to identify the threats in the network of healthcare. Cyber threats are the main risk that a healthcare network faces. With the advent of technology, most healthcare organizations store their data electronically, which exposes the data to more threats since, in most cases, there is a third party involved in the process. The cyber-attacks also threaten the professionals as their critical operations may be interfered with. The other risk is physical attacks. This occurs when the hospital does not have adequate physical security to offer protection to both the patients and the data stored in the hospital that may be a target to an attacker. Lastly, there is a risk of privacy management and information security. It becomes difficult to sometimes manage all users and the data due to the organization’s lack of adequate resources. As a result, data such as the patient’s personal information can be easily accessed and manipulated by people.
The security controls mitigating the risks identified above includes the healthcare organization linking their policies. This is possible when the organization sets up systems that can work together to ensure the information stored. The other way is by setting alerts that consequently review policies and update them. The last mitigation is to communicate and communicate with people to make them aware of the malware. The advantages of this control are that through the placement of alerts, the policies written will not be easily forgotten by people, and hence the risks would be reduced. Besides that, frequent communication will also help the organization understand the gaps present and fill them before an attack arises. However, some disadvantages are associated with this control, and they include the procedures being too expensive and tedious. For instance, linking up policies could be costly for the healthcare organization. Also, the alerts may not be enough to sensitize the workers on the cybercrimes that surround them. These controls complement each other in several ways. When the alerts are present, communication needs to be made for people to be aware of the alert; furthermore, the polices need to be linked up to make all this process of communication and alert possible.
The security policy for this organization that is needed to secure data transmission includes proper allocation of resources that would proactively manage the IT environment so that they can curb the evolving threats. This is possible by ensuring frequent training for the employees and ensuring there are strict access control measures.
In conclusion, it would be vital if a healthcare organization protected their network so that their assets are not exposed to threats. It would also be necessary to identify the vulnerabilities so that any threat that is likely to pop up can be controlled and prevented. These findings would help ensure that essential data, such as those representing information about the patient, are well looked into and safeguarded from being altered or lost.