The American Hospital Association (AHA) warns that the healthcare system is exposed to threats from Russian cybersecurity threats. In the world today most medical records are digitally stored and transferred which means there is a greater risk of cyber threats. This concern by AHA is due to the recent attacks on Ukraine by Russia.

The ASA’s three main concerns

In response to  President Joe Biden’s sanctions against Russia, the Russian government has made it apparent that it can attack sensitive assets in the United States. The American Hospital Association has identified three main concerns for the healthcare industry.

  1. US healthcare organizations and hospitals can be directly targeted by Russian-backed cybercriminals.
  2. Health systems can fall victim to Russian deployed malware or ransomware that can breach healthcare data.
  3. A cyber-attack can easily disturb the healthcare system’s critical service providers.

To protect the US healthcare industry hospital management need to join hands with IT members to reduce risks and vulnerabilities for smooth running.

Mitigation strategies to implement

It is advised that the following strategies be deployed by hospitals to keep strong security round the clock. This time is critical for healthcare set-ups in the US to protect patient health information.

  • Keep staff members aware of any malware-laden phishing emails they can receive.
  • Boosting networking monitoring for unfamiliar traffic.
  • Cyber incident response plans need to be updated and practiced diligently.
  • Deploying geo-fencing for every inbound and outbound traffic related to Ukraine and its related areas.

Moving Ahead

Avoiding cybersecurity attacks from Russia is crucial. Managing data properly and its protection should be one of the highest priorities of hospitals and healthcare organizations. There needs to be a strong security culture emphasizing that security is everybody’s responsibility. Data backups are vital in case of any actual attack. Staying on top of security is what the AHA desires from every stakeholder involved in the US health sector. Threats to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Software systems can be reverted by adopting preventive measures. EHR software security measures need to be implemented according to HIPAA EMR requirements 2022.