--- title: "7 steps to cyber protection in healthcare — ZEBR.ai" description: "Healthcare is undergoing inevitable digitalization. The shift away from old methods of creating, storing and sharing information makes it possible to develop data-intensive diagnostics and personalized treatment. However, from the perspective of operating IT services in healthcare, this is a complicated situation, as it is not easy for all stakeholders to quickly adapt during this transformation to the important principles of protecting an ever-growing volume of data…" url: "https://zebr.ai/en/blog/7-steps-to-cyber-protection-in-healthcare" markdown_url: "https://zebr.ai/en/blog/7-steps-to-cyber-protection-in-healthcare.md" language: "en" published: "2020-08-26T15:40:08+00:00" alternates: cs: "https://zebr.ai/cs/blog/7-kroku-ke-kyberneticke-ochrane-ve-zdravotnictvi.md" sl: "https://zebr.ai/sl/blog/7-korakov-do-kibernetske-zascite-v-zdravstvu.md" sk: "https://zebr.ai/sk/blog/7-krokov-ku-kybernetickej-ochrane-v-zdravotnictve.md" hr: "https://zebr.ai/hr/blog/7-koraka-do-kiberneticke-zastite-u-zdravstvu.md" sr-Latn: "https://zebr.ai/sr-latn/blog/7-koraka-do-sajber-zastite-u-zdravstvu.md" bs: "https://zebr.ai/bs/blog/7-koraka-do-kiberneticke-zastite-u-zdravstvu.md" sq: "https://zebr.ai/sq/blog/7-hapa-drejt-mbrojtjes-kibernetike-ne-kujdesin-shendetesor.md" fr: "https://zebr.ai/fr/blog/7-etapes-pour-la-cyberprotection-dans-le-secteur-de-la-sante.md" es: "https://zebr.ai/es/blog/7-pasos-para-la-proteccion-cibernetica-en-el-sector-sanitario.md" de: "https://zebr.ai/de/blog/7-schritte-zum-cyberschutz-im-gesundheitswesen.md" pt-BR: "https://zebr.ai/pt-br/blog/7-passos-para-a-protecao-cibernetica-na-area-da-saude.md" pl: "https://zebr.ai/pl/blog/7-krokow-do-cyberochrony-w-ochronie-zdrowia.md" it: "https://zebr.ai/it/blog/7-passi-per-la-protezione-informatica-nella-sanita.md" nl: "https://zebr.ai/nl/blog/7-stappen-naar-cyberbescherming-in-de-gezondheidszorg.md" hu: "https://zebr.ai/hu/blog/7-lepes-az-egeszsegugyi-kiberbiztonsaghoz.md" ro: "https://zebr.ai/ro/blog/7-pasi-catre-protectia-cibernetica-in-domeniul-sanatatii.md" tr: "https://zebr.ai/tr/blog/saglik-sektorunde-siber-koruma-icin-7-adim.md" id: "https://zebr.ai/id/blog/7-langkah-menuju-perlindungan-siber-di-bidang-kesehatan.md" --- [Home](https://zebr.ai/en/) [Blog](https://zebr.ai/en/blog) 7 steps to cyber protection in healthcare # 7 steps to cyber protection in healthcare Healthcare is undergoing inevitable digitalization. The shift away from old methods of creating, storing and sharing information makes it possible to develop data-intensive diagnostics and personalized treatment. However, from the perspective of operating IT services in healthcare, this is a complicated situation, as it is not easy for all stakeholders to quickly adapt during this transformation to the important principles of protecting an ever-growing volume of data… 26/08/2020 · 4 min read · ZEBR.ai editorial team Healthcare is undergoing inevitable digitalization. The shift away from old methods of creating, storing and sharing information makes it possible to develop data-intensive diagnostics and personalized treatment. However, from the perspective of operating IT services in healthcare, this is a complicated situation, as it is not easy for all stakeholders to quickly adapt during this transformation to the important principles of protecting an ever-growing volume of data. With the growing volume of confidential data in healthcare, healthcare facilities are becoming an increasingly popular target for hackers. They rightly assume that healthcare facilities are, by their very nature, more willing to cooperate, meaning there is a higher likelihood of ransom being paid. Moreover, as IT technologies become more deeply embedded in healthcare, the complexity of specific laws protecting health data increases. Traditional digitalization challenges also include a chronic shortage of IT workers, application migration to the cloud, the growing diversity of storage systems and data access methods, requirements for continuous availability, and analytical capabilities ideally in real time. Identifying specific problems is the first step. The second step is striving to resolve them as effectively as possible, which in the healthcare sector should aim to cover as comprehensively as possible the five vectors of modern cyber data protection: security, availability, privacy, authenticity, and protection against loss or attack. Cyber protection in healthcare must therefore focus on the following 7 steps: 1. Preventing sensitive data leaks Every year, the personal data of many millions of patients is stolen. On average, 308 days usually pass before such damage is discovered. To prevent similar information leaks, IT infrastructure must be protected at every level: physical systems, virtual machines, cloud services, and mobile devices all require dedicated protection. Leading cyber protection encrypts backups and storage, defends data using advanced proactive, active, and reactive defense technologies, and enables very rapid recovery at every level. 2. Setting up malware protection The two most common threats to healthcare data are ransomware and cryptojacking. Without protection, healthcare providers are at the mercy of online extortionists and condemned to service outages that can cost lives and incur significant system recovery costs. Today's systems feature modern antimalware technology capable of detecting, describing, stopping, and quickly reversing the effects of such attacks. For example, Acronis Active Protection, through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, can protect even against Zero Day attacks. 3. Compliance with general and specific requirements GDPR, HIPAA, personal data protection and processing legislation with special methodologies and the threat of hefty fines and legal penalties, particularly in healthcare, are a reality in this industry. An essential part of thorough cyber protection is therefore proven methods for ensuring data integrity, authenticity, and trustworthy encryption, which help with compliance and the secure handling of personal data. 4. Migrating applications and storage to the cloud The expansion of cloud technologies is good news for everyone concerned with the “health” of healthcare facilities themselves. However, continuous data transfer requires strong end-to-end encryption, and today’s most secure cyber protection systems are based on hybrid cloud backup and storage. 5. Ensuring continuous data availability In healthcare, the immediate availability of information is often a matter of life and death, and having protection with the shortest possible recovery time is an absolute necessity. The fastest systems based on disaster recovery can now restore operations as soon as 15 seconds after an outage. 6. Protecting mobile devices The most important patient data can now be stored on smartwatches or on a doctor’s personal tablet. Endpoint devices are often attractive targets for attacks, so their security must be uncompromising as well. Reliable cyber protection therefore also covers employees’ personal devices through endpoint protection. 7. Effective and easy-to-understand tools Data about human health is highly valuable to us, but at the same time, access to it should not be overly complicated for staff. Modern cyber protection solutions make it possible to establish clear and universally understandable rules for convenient access to sensitive data without compromising its security. Vojtěch Bínek *The article was published in IT Systems magazine 7-8/2020* Source: Article author: ZEBR.ai editorial team Read on ## More related articles [All articles](https://zebr.ai/en/blog) Contact ## Do you need a solution for yourself or for your client? 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