Tech

Key Data Security Issues in the Healthcare Industry

Published

2 years ago

11/01/2021

Jason Zhang

key-data-security-issues-in-the-healthcare-industry

Most patients want to keep their health information private, and they have a right to data privacy. The digital health trend has put an enormous strain on healthcare organizations to keep patient health information safe due to complex security risk.

The healthcare industry shows unpreparedness when it comes to data security. The rise of data breaches over the past years proves that cybercriminals target the healthcare system to hunt for sensitive and valuable data. Many organizations and practices struggle to resolve data security issues because they are under-resourced and rely on vulnerable systems.

Your healthcare practice must identify key data security issues to establish safety measures that keep patient data secure and prevent attacks from cybercriminals.

The following are common examples of data security issues affecting the healthcare industry and how you can avoid them.

The rise of ransomware threats

Ransomware is a type of malware that corrupts systems and encrypted files, making them inaccessible until the demand of the perpetrators, such as a ransom, is granted.

According to the HIPAA Journal, ransomware is currently the most vicious data security threat to healthcare systems. This kind of cyberattack cripples the entire healthcare IT system for weeks or months and prevents access to medical records, leading to treatment delays and further complications.

Cybercriminals target industries such as healthcare that deal with sensitive data because they believe they are more likely to pay a ransom when sensitive information is on the line.

There are many ways that dangerous malware, like ransomware, can access systems and corrupt computer files, but the most common is a phishing scam.

There’s a surge of phishing in the healthcare industry

In general, a phishing scam occurs when the victim receives an enticing email that looks like something they can trust and clicks on the attachment or link. Once the attachment or link is downloaded or accessed, it contains a computer virus or malware, allowing a cybercriminal to take over an entire system.

Phishing attacks pose a significant threat to organizations in almost every sector, especially the healthcare industry. According to a recent analysis by security vendor Paloalto Network, phishing attacks targeting pharmacies and hospitals rose by 189% from December 2020 to February 2021. Also, during this timeframe, COVID-19 vaccine-related phishing attacks increased by 530%.

The security vendor also determined that cyberattackers continued to change their chosen tactics to adapt to the latest pandemic trends, taking advantage of the sense of urgency that victims will more likely give away their information.

The following are best practices to protect your organization from phishing attacks:

Verify the sender’s address before clicking on any email, links, or attachments
Implement security awareness training for your employees
Double-check the URL before using log-in credentials

Relying on the cloud may welcome system vulnerabilities

Data is abundant in the healthcare industry — from electronic health records (EHRs) to protected health information (PHI). Due to the increase of valuable health information and resources, healthcare organizations have adopted cloud services as part of more comprehensive digital transformation initiatives.

However, there are vulnerabilities, as with any form of innovation and continuous movement of information on cloud-based systems.

The expansion of the cloud trend has broadened the surface for cyberattacks across healthcare organizations. Multi-vendor cloud systems host an increasing amount of sensitive data, which sometimes paves the way for a system error. Additionally, mobile healthcare apps are a growing industry, leaving patient data susceptible to vulnerabilities in the cloud.

Data encryption in the cloud is relatively simple. However, data in use — information being used by an application, as opposed to just sitting in the cloud — is difficult to encrypt, which makes it prone to hacking.

Moreover, healthcare organizations often use multiple cloud vendors and services with different security standards and practices, making it hard to apply a consistent policy in safeguarding data across the cloud system.

According to a 2020 report from Health IT Security, sensitive data belonging to over 3.1 million patients lied exposed in an unprotected cloud database, later deleted and potentially stolen.

Overlooked, unsecured, and out-of-date software pose security issues in healthcare

The most common data security issue that often gets disregarded by many healthcare organizations is the use of unsecured and outdated software. Being unable to guarantee software security and updates exposes healthcare organizations to many cyber threats.

Released software updates send a signal that there are bugs and glitches within the previous version. Hackers take advantage of these software vulnerabilities for exploitation.

Some organizations deliberately choose not to update their software system simply because they don’t think it can be a source of a cyberattack. Unfortunately, it usually takes a serious data breach to wake them up to the importance of cybersecurity.

It is important to note that unsecured and outdated software significantly damages your organization because of interconnection between systems, processes, and equipment.

Develop a proactive plan for software security and updates across all applicable systems in your organization, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. You can adopt reliable, HIPAA-compliant software like Curogram that can integrate with app-based, cloud-based, server-based, and web-browser-based EHRs without issues.

Healthcare data security is necessary as technological advancements continue

The healthcare industry has been struggling with data security issues as more systems adopt new forms of technology. Organizations aiming to resolve these issues must remain sharp, informed, and expand their security measures.

Indeed, technology has changed the face of security. While learning the basics of data security issues plays a vital role to avert such problems in the healthcare industry, adopting healthcare data security must be of utmost priority. An easy solution to managing healthcare data security is using Curogram, a software that has the necessary security protocols and protects all forms of patient data.

Tech

A Guide to Better Supporting Tech Use in Your Business

Published

5 days ago

05/16/2023

Jason Zhang

guide-to-better-supporting-tech-use-in-your-business

If you own a business, you might find that you are not supporting its tech use enough and that this is having a detrimental impact on your company as a whole, from its productivity to its ability to adapt to the future of its industry. If this is the case, here is a guide that will help you to better support tech use within your company in 2023.

Get a Stronger Internet Connection

One of the best steps that you can take to better support tech use in your business is to acquire a stronger internet connection for it. A stronger internet connection will ensure that the software that you purchase is able to run smoothly and that a great number of employees can use your internet and your computers without any issues, such as a lag in internet speed. If you are struggling to find a strong internet connection in your local area, you should consider looking at the options that are provided by companies like Gateway Fiber. They will be able to provide your company with a fiber internet and Wi-Fi mesh network that can help to propel your business into the future.

Get Plug Sockets and Charging Points

You should also ensure that there are enough plug sockets and charging points around your business before introducing a lot of new technology. Installing a large number of sockets around your office will mean that a lot of gadgets can be used at once and connected to the electricity, such as laptops and computers. Not only this, but charging points in accessible places will mean that your employees can use their tech non-stop without running into problems because the gadget they are using is not charged up enough. This can help to make technology a more integral part of your business.

Find a Great Server

It would help if you also looked around for great servers for your company. There are many different types of servers that you may need within your business. For instance, file servers can help you to store a range of documents within a digital space, and a web server will ensure that you will be able to gain access to webpages whenever you need to, and the best web servers will ensure that these webpages load extremely quickly so that you are able to complete your work tasks in no time at all.

Look for IT Companies

It would be best if you also looked around for external IT companies who can help you get the IT infrastructure you need and support your tech use as it grows. Finding external support is vital for those who do not have onsite IT teams or for business people who are not very tech-savvy themselves, as IT companies can ensure that problems are sorted out quickly, that your tech remains secure, and that there is a source of professional knowledge and information on hand at all times to answer queries and concerns. This is extremely beneficial.

Tech

Data science: The essential technical skills

Published

2 weeks ago

05/09/2023

Jason Zhang

Data science is one of the most important roles of our time. Organizing vast amounts of cluttered, nonsensical data into clean, actionable information is an incredibly valuable skill, which puts you in an enviable position for work opportunities. Data science helps businesses from various industries make data-driven decisions, increase profits and streamline their processes. So, if you’re thinking a career in data science may be for you, let’s take a closer look at what data science is and the critical skills you need to succeed in the field.

What is data science?

Data science is an academic field that combines statistics, computing, scientific processes, algorithms, mathematics, artificial intelligence and computer engineering to analyze vast amounts of data to extract valuable information. The information extrapolated in data science is turned into easy to understand material so businesses can use it to make data-driven decisions. Now that we know what data science is, what are some typical roles you might have as a data science specialist?

What does a career in data science look like?

There are many exciting career paths you can take as a data scientist, including:

Data analyst
Data manager

Data architect
Business analyst

Data scientist
Machine learning engineer
Statistician

These are only a handful of the possible data science roles. There are numerous critical data science skills needed for a successful career in this field. One of the easiest ways to obtain these skills is through a program such as Baylor University’s Online Masters in Computer Science degree track in Data Science. This program helps students to develop the specialized skills needed to excel in the data science field.

Essential data science skills

The exact skills you need for a data science role will depend on what you do and where you work. However, there are some skills common across all data science roles, such as:

Programming

Programming is an essential data science skill and is a necessary aspect of any data science role. Programming knowledge is required to analyze and manage large amounts of data. Data scientists often have to create machine-learning algorithms to predict outcomes using data; so, a deep understanding of programming is required to complete them.

Programming languages to learn include Python, SAS, R and SQL. Python is one of the most popular programming tools in data science due to its vast libraries, flexibility and ease of use. Whereas SQL is used specifically for databases when working with big data.

Big data

All data scientists need a deep understanding of big data. The amount of data we have access to is only increasing, and working with tools such as Spark and NoSQL is vital when processing large data sets that cannot be handled with standard data handling tools.

Machine learning

Understanding machine learning is one of the most critical skills you need as a data scientist, and you’ll need to learn both machine learning and deep learning thoroughly to succeed in the field. Machine learning knowledge helps you gather data more efficiently and predict future data set outcomes. Types of machine learning concepts to master include: linear regressions, logistics regression, decision trees and random forest algorithms. These concepts help create real-time data processing algorithms, which increase the accuracy of future outcome predictions.

Statistical analysis

Statistical analysis helps you create machine learning algorithms. Statistics and probability are required, and concepts such as linear regression help you collect, interpret and organize data. Factors such as mean, median, mode, variance and standard deviation are all components of statistical analysis that you should learn for data science. At a minimum, descriptive statistics and probability theory are essential for data scientists.

Database management

Database management involves cleaning and organizing large amounts of complex data into organized, readable information that is categorized into patterns and trends. Doing this is often time-consuming but remains vital to making data-driven decisions. Database management, or data wrangling, as it is sometimes called, allows you to present data that can be interpreted.

Interpersonal skills

In addition to the technical skills and specialized knowledge required to be a data scientist, there are some crucial soft skills, such as:

Critical thinking

Public speaking
Empathy
Attention to detail
Effective communication
Active listening

Feedback sharing

Public speaking allows you to present information to stakeholders, convey your ideas clearly and show confidence in various professional environments. Empathy can help you understand how your information can impact stakeholders and the business. Effective communication skills help you work with colleagues, land jobs, make presentations to owners and share your ideas. All these skills won’t only help you in data science but in all aspects of your life.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is prominent in many industries and an important area of data science. Cloud computing can be used to analyze data stored in cloud-based platforms and provides professionals with cloud-based data frameworks that are key to advancing technology.

Data visualization

Data visualization is a key component of data science that is used to extract and represent data in a clear, understandable form. Taking that non-sensical data and turning it into charts, graphs, infographics, plots and animations makes it easy to understand for stakeholders and is one of the main ways in which you will communicate your findings to decision-makers.

Domain knowledge

Domain knowledge is also critical to relate your data to your respective field. For instance, you may specialize in fintech or engineering. Being knowledgeable in your specific domain will help you translate the data you analyze to respective stakeholders more clearly.

Final words

Data science is a highly sought after career, and learning the essential data science skills puts you in a formidable position for employability as you have the skills to help businesses to make decisions and succeed. You’ll use a combination of soft interpersonal skills and specialized data analytical skills, programming, domain knowledge, database management and machine learning. Together, these skills will prepare you to launch a career in data science.

Tech

Maximize Your Off-Road Experience with Cutting-Edge UTV Stereo Technology

Published

3 weeks ago

05/03/2023

Jason Zhang

maximize-your-off-road-experience-with-cutting-edge-utv-stereo-technology

The original NUTV5 UTV pod speakers set provides unbeatable experience. This unit’s waterproof UTV speakers, amplifier, and controller are superior to any other. Everything you need is included in the NUTV5.

The HS4 Amplifier, NBTR Bluetooth controller, a pair of N5 speakers, plus all necessary cables and accessories make up a full waterproof sound system for your UTV. It is an easy-to-use do-it-yourself set.

Amplifier for UTVs and Marine Use

This amplifier weighed in at a hefty 4.5 pounds and was made from the ground up to withstand the harsh conditions in which it will operate. The HS4 is a 4-channel, full-range amplifier with high-pass and low-pass crossovers that may be adjusted independently. It can power our NOAM N5 speakers and other full-range speakers and subwoofers.

Through the NBTR Bluetooth controller, the HS4 amplifier can receive wireless audio transmissions from any A2DP-enabled Apple, Android, Windows, or Blackberry device. The 3.5 mm jack input allows for wired use as well.

Unbeatable features

Everything you need is included in the NUTV5. This contains an HS4 amplifier, an NBTR Bluetooth controller, a pair of N5 speakers, and all necessary cables and accessories. The N5 speakers can be driven to their maximum potential by the HS4 amplifier.

SPEAKERS OF THE N5 GENERATION

A NOAM N5 speaker pair with a 3″ passive radiator in the pod’s back provides a deeper bass response. These small 5.25″ speakers can outperform much larger 6.5″ speakers. The pods on your bike will be the ideal size and produce a massive sound.

The New Bluetooth Remote (NBTR)

Using the NBTR Bluetooth controller, you can wirelessly connect any Bluetooth-enabled Apple, Android, Windows, Blackberry, or another device with A2DP audio streaming support to the HS4 amplifier. For hardwired use, the NBTR has a 3.5 mm AUX input.

Heavy-Duty 4-Channel Amplifier (HS4)

The HS4 is a 4-channel, high- and low-pass crossover-free, full-range amplifier. They are built to survive outside elements in a highly sturdy die-cast housing!

N5 Speakers’ Powerful and Loud Sound

The N5’s superior sound quality results from the 3″ passive radiator on the back of the pod, which converts excess energy into low-frequency sound waves.

Most Special Modular Fastening Systems

In 60 seconds, you will have your speaker set up. ZERO need for instrumentation Extremely firm hold When the handle is closed by hand, and a 13mm nut Wrench can further secure the grip. Neither Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, nor Mike Tyson could pull this off by hand.

Wrapping Up

The speaker pod can rotate 140 degrees on the N5 mounting system. You’ll have more leeway in where you place the speakers and how you direct the sound toward you. The NOAM N5 speaker’s mounting clamp accommodates bar diameters up to 2 inches. As a result, it is compatible with the vast majority of UTVs currently available, including Polaris RZRs, ALL CANAMs, and many others.