“Hackers paralyze major Swiss companies“, “Cyber attacks in Switzerland – Melani issues urgent warning” or “Cyber criminals plunder Digitec-Galaxus customers’ credit balances” – these and similar headlines have occupied the media in recent months. Now you might think that only well-known large companies, online retailers or media platforms are the targets of hacker attacks.
Far from it: data theft, misuse of data or unauthorized network access affect all industries and do not stop at any company. The healthcare sector is also increasingly confronted with the need to check processes and services for security vulnerabilities and secure them against attacks.
Security vulnerabilities on medical devices are increasing
The NZZ am Sonntag reported on a case in the USA in which hackers paralyzed the network of a medical device manufacturer and only released it again after the demanded ransom was paid. Of course, we are in Europe and not in the United States, but there are also a number of known cases in Switzerland that are affecting the healthcare industry.
For example, anesthesia and respiratory equipment can be manipulated via the hospital network through security loopholes or devices such as infusion pumps or pacemakers can be changed by external access. However, the examples mentioned are only those cases that have been made public. Who likes to be in the spotlight with security vulnerabilities?
“Friendly hacking“ as a solution?
As a result, the security gaps that have also found their way into medical device manufacturers due to increasing digitalization are not being ignored. Rather, manufacturers are relying on the involvement of so-called “friendly hackers”. These test and check in a protected environment what attack surfaces the devices offer and ensure that they are adapted before they are launched on the market. After all, this provides a sense of security and is therefore far better than simply hoping that nothing will happen.
Recognize and eliminate security gaps at an early stage
However, when it comes to really focusing on security, prevention starts even earlier – with the involvement of a cyber security expert. This expert ensures effective protection of processes, applications, data and networks so that security vulnerabilities such as those described above can be detected and eliminated at an early stage. For example, such an expert creates the conditions for companies in the healthcare sector to implement their digitalization strategy with a web access management solution and meet their obligations in the areas of information security and data protection – whether on-premise or in a distributed cloud environment.
This means that the latest medical devices continue to be used, patients receive the best service and healthcare companies have a clear head – for greater efficiency and increased flexibility.
United Security Providers is already a well-known security partner in the healthcare sector – after all, the cyber security expert already protects the applications, services, imaging devices and processes of most Swiss university, cantonal and regional hospitals. United Security Providers thus makes a valuable contribution to ensuring that organizations such as the Inselspital Bern, the University Hospital Zurich or the Cantonal Hospital Graubünden do not end up in the media headlines.