Page 118 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2023

The healthcare sector is a prime target for cybercriminals due to its vast amounts of sensitive patient data
and potential financial gains. The incidence of cyber-attacks targeting US hospitals and health systems
increased by over two-fold between 2016 and 2021, as per reports from the Journal of the American
Medical Association. Ransomware attacks, data breaches, and identity theft are just a few of the
concerning threats facing healthcare organizations.

For instance, between February 26 and March 7, 2023, Managed Care of North America (MCNA)
experienced a significant breach of healthcare data. During this period, malicious code infiltrated their
systems. Subsequent inquiry uncovered that an unauthorized entity had penetrated specific systems and
extracted copies of personal data. This attack impacted roughly 8.9 million individuals, including patients,
parents, guardians, and guarantors. Incidents such as these have highlighted the urgent need for robust
healthcare cybersecurity solutions.

Governments around the world have also tightened regulations concerning patient data protection and
privacy. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the United States and GDPR
(General Data Protection Regulation) in the European Union are two examples of stringent compliance
frameworks that healthcare organizations are required to adhere to. Such policies will create a favorable
growth environment for the health IT market, which is poised to exhibit over 18.2% CAGR through 2023-
2032, according to a research report from Global Market Insights Inc.

3 Key Players Pioneering Change in the Healthcare IT Security Industry

In response to the growing demand for robust healthcare IT security, numerous companies have
emerged as major players in the market. These organizations offer innovative solutions designed to
address the industry's unique security challenges. Enlisted below are 3 key players and their contributions
to health IT security industry development:

GE Healthcare – Skeye Cybersecurity Service
With the proliferation of interconnected devices, the potential for cybersecurity risks grows, and these
security incidents can have a profound impact on an organization's efficiency, financial stability, quality
of healthcare, and reputation. GE Healthcare is committed to mitigating these risks by furnishing
customers with a comprehensive evaluation of the security of their medical devices. This assessment
aids in the identification of vulnerabilities, offers recommended action plans, provides guidance for
remediation, and outlines strategies for execution. This process promotes collaborative efforts involving
customers' clinical engineering, IT, and security teams.
In February 2020, in Chicago, GE Healthcare unveiled a novel service designed to assist hospital groups
in their battle against cybersecurity threats. The innovative solution, named Skeye, was designed to
harness the expertise of medical device specialists, artificial intelligence, and process management tools.
By leveraging a remote security operations center (SOC), Skeye could enhance hospitals' existing
capabilities and resources, enabling proactive monitoring and empowering them to swiftly detect,
analyze, and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents in real-time.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2023 Edition 118
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