Healthcare cybersecurity starts with your IT network infrastructure

Daniel Faurlin

April 15, 2021

As technology becomes more complex, so do the threats of cyberattacks. Read how to mitigate the risk to the IT network infrastructure.

Digital transformation has profoundly changed the cybersecurity expectations of healthcare providers as the number of connected devices has exploded and the network perimeter has expanded. And this digitalization continues to accelerate.

Cyberattacks did not slow down during the pandemic, but actually fueled the fire. The need for cybersecurity has been amplified within hospitals, and the shift to teleworking for some hospital staff has further increased the challenge.

As technology becomes more complex, so do the threats of cyberattacks

The increased use of new technologies, including cloud, mobile, connected home objects, Big Data and advanced analytics by institutions and patients is creating new vulnerabilities.

The news resonates as cyberattacks on healthcare facilities have become ever more numerous and serious since 2018 in France.

In its report(1) dated February 25, 2021, the French National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) points to the number one threat: the disclosure of patient health data.

As healthcare organizations accelerate their digital transformation, they are becoming more open to exchanges with the broader ecosystem, including patients, partners, payers, health authorities, government and other providers. Network users (health care and administrative staff as well as patients) increasingly access resources from outside the network perimeter. Teleconsultation, tele-monitoring, multidisciplinary conferences, medical appointment booking, and teleworking for some staff have developed considerably in these times of pandemic.

For patients and caregivers, connected health is becoming the new normal.

The level of complexity in delivering these services requires a new look at data security in the healthcare sector.

How to mitigate the risk of cyberattacks on the IT network infrastructure?

One of the major lessons of the past year and of these new practices has been the need to strengthen cybersecurity to better protect hospitals against IT network infrastructure vulnerabilities. And this requires a holistic approach to security, which entails thinking about strategy and in particular technology that must cover the following aspects:

• Security of connected devices

• Identity management and access control through authentication and security policies

• Security of data exchange by encryption

• Containerization of the network into virtual sub-segments

• Automated network management

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) IT network infrastructure technology provides this multi-faceted approach to minimizing the risk of cyberattack in healthcare facilities.

Digital Age Networking, the ALE blueprint for digital transformation, strengthens the security of IT infrastructure and equipment, while helping to protect patient data in healthcare facilities. Digital Age Networking manages user and device access, securely segments the IT infrastructure into virtual subnets to reduce vulnerabilities created by IoT, mobile devices and network equipment, preventing a potential breach from providing an attack vector and spreading across the healthcare ecosystem.

To learn more, read the brochure “Healthcare Network Cybersecurity in the Age of Digital Transformation”

(1) Rapport : « L’état de la menace cyber sur les établissements de santé » (ANSSI), 25 February 2021