Avoiding Health Data Breaches

Compiled by Scott Westcott, Contributing Writer

Health data is becoming a prime target for cybercriminals, and these healthcare providers are stepping up security efforts in response. Are you doing all you can to protect yourself from a data breach?

Headlines about Target, Home Depot, and, of course, the mother of all data breaches, Sony Pictures, have drawn unprecedented attention to cybersecurity. Yet, the risks extend far beyond those organizations. Healthcare providers also are increasingly vulnerable to internal breaches or hackers bent on stealing personal health information. Experian’s 2015 Data Breach Industry Forecast projects an increase in healthcare breaches in the coming year. Driving that projected increase is the growing number of EMRs as well as the explosion of health- or fitness-related wearable devices that make sensitive and personal health information increasingly vulnerable.