Ulistic Projects Blog

Blockchain Technology: Features and Limitations in Healthcare

Blockchain technology is meant to create a more streamlined data handling process for all of healthcare. Find out the blockchain advantages and limitations.  

More and more in the modern-day, business data is being examined as something that could benefit from the implementation of blockchain technology. Medical data interoperation between all care providers is considered to be like the holy grail of medical care. No barriers would exist between doctor’s offices, hospitals, or even pharmacists no matter where in the world they were located. Here is a bit about what you should know about blockchain technology in healthcare as a healthcare business owner.

Blockchain Features That Can Benefit Healthcare

There is good reason why companies like Medicalchain are getting in on blockchain technology. Blockchain technology brings with it a full list of advantages that are easy to assume and understand. Here is a shortlist of some of the most apparent blockchain technology advantages.

Blockchain Provides a Distributed Ledger of Patient Care

First and foremost, blockchain technology allows for a full ledger of patient care. If a patient goes to a hospital in one country while they are visiting, for example, their information would be completely accessible by their care provider. When that patient leaves a care provider, it would be completely possible for them to already have a followup appointment scheduled for when they get back home where their primary care physician is located.

Blockchain Data Is Stored In a Secure Way

Security is a huge concern in healthcare, and the nature of blockchain data makes it secure already. Therefore, companies that are implementing blockchain technology gain the advantage of those already-secure processes that keeps the patient’s data protected in the right way. Companies that struggle to comply with HIPPA regulations may see that things are not so difficult to achieve with blockchain technology in place even.

Blockchain Can Give Patients More Control Over Their Own Records

With blockchain, patients could potentially create their own rules around how their particular records are handled and shared, which is something that is limited in current healthcare data handling. For example, a patient could choose to make their current list of medications accessible to every provider so they never have to carry along their own list of medications to share or so every provider would already know what they are taking.

Blockchain Limitations That Can Be Problematic in Healthcare

So far, the real limitations of blockchain technology are lacking when you consider the advantages. According to Macadamian, there is one big limitation that has to be considered in blockchain technology where healthcare is concerned:

“Blockchain technology on its own is not sufficient to create a complete electronic healthcare record (EHR) solution.”

The primary limitation or concern comes in with pairing certain forms of cryptocurrency blockchain with healthcare operations. Cryptocurrency blockchains have this anonymity that is naturally attached because the actual name of a payer or payee never has to be revealed. For example, someone using something like Bitcoin never has to reveal their true identity during a transaction. Naturally, healthcare blockchains could not exist so anonymously; a patient’s identity would have to be revealed at some point in transactions and during the transmission of patient data to other providers. Therefore, there is a bit of a conflict there that exists between how blockchain technology is meant to function and how it would have to function in healthcare environments.

Final Thoughts On Blockchain Technology in Healthcare

Blockchain technology is consistently evolving and stepping its way into a lot of everyday processes. The technology could potentially revolutionize many processes of healthcare, and the ongoing implementation is proving that fact. There are some companies that are already experimenting with blockchain technology in the medical care environment, but the numbers of companies doing so are bound to grow in the coming years. The final thought is this: blockchain technology could very well make drastic improvements in healthcare. Therefore, it is well worth it to talk to a managed IT services provider to find out how blockchain technology could be used in your healthcare business.

Celebrate October National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It provides a framework for companies, individuals, and organizations to examine past and current cyber threats to reduce their risks.  

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Started by the Department of Homeland Security, it provides a framework for companies, individuals, and organizations to examine past and current cyber threats and audit their devices, networks, and data to reduce the risk of a data breach.

This is a great time to talk to your staff about the importance of cybersecurity in protecting the company, and, ultimately, their livelihood. Events and training are great ways to raise awareness and garner support for security and prevention initiatives.

Why Is NCSAM More Relevant than Ever?

The following considerations make it more important than ever to raise awareness and prevent bad actors from walking away with your sensitive data:

• Ransomware damage could rise to $11.5 billion in 2019 and criminals will conduct ransomware attacks every 14 seconds.
• Malware and advanced intrusion devices let attackers remotely control compromised computers. These botnets sometimes begin a campaign of proxy and spam attacks and other organized criminal activity.
• Cybercriminals use online resources to steal intellectual property and identities.
• Sexual predators stalk their victims on social media.
• Dark websites provide illegal goods and services on networks that mask IP addresses and leave a cold trail for investigators.

The FBI and federal, state, and local authorities work with industry experts to encourage people to take cybersecurity seriously. These efforts include:

• Investigating hacks and attempted hacks
• Disrupting cybersecurity threats
• Collecting and analyzing intelligence
• Warning the public about known or suspected cyber threats

Use October’s NSCAM designation to reach out to your corporate users and anybody connecting to your system. For example, you can remind everyone of the company’s policies and procedures regarding email usage, remote sign-on and password protection.

How Is the Government Supporting These Goals?

The FBI-led National Cyber Joint Investigative Task Force provides a way for businesses and individuals to report and anticipate threats. Private and public initiatives help prevent the spread of malware and ransomware.

You can also turn to InfraGard—a place where participants share information and coordinate efforts with partners in the private sector. InfraGard has the following goals:

• Train members to find and reduce vulnerabilities
• Develop detailed response systems to track attacks
• Enact best practices to prevent successful attacks

The FBI’s Safe Online Surfing website teaches young students about online security to protect them from predators. Children are most vulnerable to malware, cyberbullies, and other hazards on the internet. Unfortunately, if employees access your network on a compromised devise, it may also pose a threat to your systems.

What Are Event Ideas for Cyber Month?

One of the easiest ways to increase awareness is through cybersecurity awareness tips that can be emailed to employees and posted in shared areas.

As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, you can educate employees with email tips to keep them vigilant. Recommended tip topics include:

• How Two-Factor Authentication Works
• Threats Associated with the Internet of Things (IoT) Devices
• Everyday usage guidelines including emails and web browsing habits.
• Social Media Threats Regarding Personal Data

Cyber Security Statistics You Must Know to Keep Your Company Safe

Cyber threats are constantly evolving. Here are 5 critical cybersecurity threats that you need to know to develop a strong strategy to keep your company safe.  

Cybersecurity is more of a struggle for businesses every single year. With the number of data, users, and systems constantly growing, there are more points of attack and a greater prize for nefarious users. This is why new threats emerge on a practically daily basis.

In order to keep yourself and your company protected from these evolving threats, you must stay updated on the latest threats and trends. To help you get a better idea of the current state of cybersecurity and why it’s important to stay constantly vigilant, here are five of the most important current cybersecurity statistics:

1. New Ransomware Attacks Occur Every 14 Seconds

Ransomware attacks can be costly and put your valuable data and systems at risk. Unfortunately, experts estimate that a new ransomware attack happens every 14 seconds. That’s an average of over 25 attacks per hour and 100 per day! If you aren’t actively working to deter ransomware attacks, you’re bound to be a target sooner rather than later.

2. Almost Half of All Cyber Attacks Target Small Businesses

Many people think of cyber attacks as something that only major corporations need to worry about. After all, they’re the ones with the most valuable data. However, these businesses typically take a lot more effort to infiltrate. As a result, 43% of all cyberattacks target small businesses. These businesses are across all industries and sizes, proving that nobody is entirely safe when it comes to cyber threats.

3. Cyber Security Spending is Growing Massively

By the end of 2021, it’s expected that over $1 trillion will be spent on cybersecurity globally. Unfortunately, not all of those dollars are being spent very efficiently. In order to truly combat cyber threats, you must develop an all-encompassing cybersecurity strategy. That means spending on the right technology, but also training your employees on how to identify and protect themselves from cyber threats, and how to react in the case of an emergency.

4. Data Breaches Can Take Over Six Months to Detect

On average, some companies don’t even know that there has been a data breach for six months. By then, the damage has been done over and over again. This doesn’t take into account the amount of time required to actually identify the root cause and resolve it.

5. Average Cost of a Cyber Attack is Massive

As attacks become more sophisticated and user data continues to grow in value, the actual cost of a cyber attack is rising rapidly. In 2019, it’s now estimated to be over $1.6 million! If your business is smaller or just getting started, a single successful attack could put you out of business. There’s no bigger threat facing your company today.

Clearly, developing a strategy for comprehensive cybersecurity is a task that all businesses must take special care with, no matter how big or small they are. As the digital world continues to grow in scope, the threats will continue to grow as well. Keep the cybersecurity statistics above in mind as you develop your own strategy and work to stay a step ahead of the threats and hackers.

The Security Risks Are Real with Coming Rollout of 5G Networks

Discover what the arrival of ultra-fast 5G networks means for cybersecurity, driven by the significant number of devices that will be connected to each network.

As ultrafast 5G networks emerge, so too do potential cybersecurity threats. For security experts, the unknowns make predictions for what risks to address more challenging

What is 5G?

5G is a new approach to wireless connectivity. It features speeds 20 to 100 times faster than the existing fastest speeds on 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks. 5G (which stands for the fifth generation of wireless technology to be available in the United States and worldwide) networks also will support larger numbers of wireless devices.

Given the proliferation of connected devices (the Internet of Things), the ability to connect more objects without affecting performance is a significant benefit.

How Does 5G Technology Differ from Previous Network Solutions?

5G delivers faster speeds and lower latency due to fundamental changes in the network structure. Among the key changes are:

• Use of higher radio frequencies than 4G, allowing for more data to be transmitted at faster speeds
• A new technology, Massive MIMO (multiple input multiple output) that uses targeted beams that follow a connected user around a cell site, providing better capacity, coverage and speed. Massive MIMO acts like a spotlight, directing the technology in a specific direction, as opposed to existing 4G tower technology that’s more like a floodlight, firing data in all directions, wasting power and energy.

What Are the New Cyberthreats?

With any new technology comes the new potential of attacks and intrusions. With 5G, more devices can be connected at once, more data is flowing, and data exchange happens at a far more rapid pace. Here are some of the main challenges that come with the new wireless protocol.

• More Devices Means Lack of Scalability. Today, companies that have large numbers of connected devices on their networks find it difficult to manage and secure these objects. As those businesses adopt 5G, they may be managing hundreds if not tens of thousands of devices. The challenges of scalability of security solutions will only magnify.
• New Risks Will Emerge. Today, most cybersecurity solutions focus on traditional connected devices — desktop computers, servers, smartphone and other mobile devices. 5G increases the opportunity to connect more types of objects. With each newly connected object comes an increased network threat, another possibility for hackers to expose a security flaw in a device that’s not updated or fully protected.

  5G also encourages more businesses to invest in connected devices as part of their business operations. That means a growing number of new devices, interfaces and technologies.

  Consider the potential number of smart devices in your home — refrigerator, coffee machine, washing machine, doorbell, television, digital assistant and security system are all connected and potential targets.

• More Privacy Issues. More entities are passing laws and regulations that govern how data can be stored, transmitted and used. That means organizations using 5G will need to comply with multiple regulatory hurdles related to information collected by, stored on and used by connected devices.
• Unknown Capabilities. Today’s network security systems and processes are constructed to monitor traffic and identify potential threats based on activity and data, all in real time. Doing so allows them to detect and contain suspect activity quickly. The solutions are designed to work with the existing bandwidth speeds and restrictions. With the higher capacity and speeds of 5G, that model may go out the window. New protocols are necessary for encryption, monitoring and prevention, which may mean existing firewalls may no longer work with 5G.

  Yet with few 5G networks operational, there is little to baseline for testing or assessment. Hardware will likely need to be upgraded, processes changed and new guidelines developed and implemented.

• Integration and Automation. Today’s solutions can operate independently of other systems, but the impending 5G revolution means integration and automation will need to become part of future solutions. Security solutions will need to connect to the entire IT operation and data will need to be synchronized throughout multiple security layers.

What Can the Security Profession, Carriers and Businesses Do to Prepare for 5G Security Needs?

The solution to 5G security challenges will be multilayered and the responsibility of multiple parties. Among the key changes necessary are:

• Carriers will need to extend firewall protection to cover new distributed networks of connected devices
• Improved authentication and management of devices
• Self-updating, self-reporting, self-hardening and self-healing devices will need to become the norm
• Access and discoverability protocols will need to be built through multiple layers

The benefits of 5G are significant. With the right security programs and solutions in place, it’s likely to be a big leap forward in connectivity.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is in place specifically to protect sensitive information in the healthcare operation. With a complex and diverse listing of standards regarding how information can be handled, how systems should function, and how things should be done within an organization, HIPPA does do a lot to protect patient information. While most organizations stick closely to these standards, there is no real way to certify you are actually compliant.

Sadly, the inability to check compliance and the lacking aspects of HIPPA compliance can lead to a cyber-attack or major data breach. Healthcare cyber-attacks cost as much as $1.4 million in recovery, so making sure compliance is where it needs to be and considering whether more needs to be done is important.

Reasons Why HIPPA Compliance Alone May Not Be Enough

Even though HIPPA policies and standards are generated to protect private and sensitive information in the healthcare industry, the truth of the matter is, HIPPA alone does not address every security concern. It is unfortunately not uncommon for a healthcare industry manager to foolheartedly put all of their faith in HIPPA compliance and completely miss that certain security defenses are missing.

In the most basic terms, HIPPA standards are designed to provide the most basic security setup in the healthcare industry. There is nothing stating that following these minimum standards will protect your healthcare business from every single threat there is where information security is concerned. Furthermore, cybersecurity threats evolve and develop so quickly that HIPPA doesn’t catch up fast enough to make much of a difference. Pair this with the fact that many healthcare organizations already struggle to keep up with newly developing security concerns associated with cloud data storage and the Internet of Things (IoT), and you have a lot of looming risk to speak of.

Rely On More Than Just HIPPA Compliance and Amp Up Security Efforts

Of course, HIPPA compliance is important, but it never hurts to up the efforts to make sure every aspect of the digital operation is secure and safe. There are multiple areas where security must be address in a healthcare organization’s digital infrastructure according to Health IT Outcomes, including:

• Controlling access to the system in a way that yields sensitive information only to those who would need to see it within the company
• Maintaining a stable protocol that dictates how risks are identified and handled on a daily basis
• Having an excellent security plan in place that acts as a go-to guideline for proper security practices
• Maintaining assets in a way that carefully documents the existing location of all assets, data, and other components of a system
• Implementing an information security incident management plan
• Controlling the physical hardware and keeping it secure at all times
• Organizing security plans that work for all aspects of the organization

Naturally, handling HIPPA compliance is also part of what is necessary, but as you can see by this detailed list, it is only one part of ensuring network security. It is not the only process to be considered for absolute security.

Final Thoughts On HIPAA Compliance and True Security

Even though HIPPA sets forth decent standards, the process of applying these standards to put them to work within a healthcare operation can vary considerably. Furthermore, some HIPPA compliance standards only cover the basic necessities of having a secure system. Unfortunately, these two facts can leave a healthcare facility with digital security concerns they have no idea exist. It is always a better idea to take things further than even HIPPA recommends to secure the system properly with the help of an IT managed services company and make sure all aspects are covered.