Malware Attacks Affecting Hospital Information Systems
Technology has made many facets of everyday life considerably easier in many ways. With that convenience, comes opportunity for many criminals. Almost every electronic device is susceptible to compromise, however hospitals represent a valuable resource to criminals due to the sensitive nature of the information contained within them. This report will evaluate the types of malware attacks that directly affect hospital information systems, potential ways that attackers can gain access to perform these threats, and ways to protect against these threats.
Malware Attacks Affecting Hospital IT Systems
Types of malware include Trojans, viruses, worms, bots, spyware, and rootkits. Stallings and Brown (2012) describes malware as “a program that is inserted into a system, usually covertly, with the intent of compromising the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the victim’s data, applications, or operating …show more content…
First and foremost, appropriate security must be maintained on all systems that have access to the network. This includes tasks like implementing an appropriate password policy, ensuring that only approved programs are installed, and making sure those programs are up to date to ensure the latest protection against threats. Firmware and software on all medical equipment must also be updated regularly, especially if connected the network. Installation, proper configuration, and monitoring of antivirus and antimalware is also needed to maintain up to date protection against the latest malware threats. While this seems like something that would be standard, Jaynathi (2015) explains that the MetroHealth breach earlier this year was tracked down to computers that had their antivirus solution disabled in order to perform an update. After the update, the antivirus was never re-enabled and allowed malware to infect the
Technology has made many facets of everyday life considerably easier in many ways. With that convenience, comes opportunity for many criminals. Almost every electronic device is susceptible to compromise, however hospitals represent a valuable resource to criminals due to the sensitive nature of the information contained within them. This report will evaluate the types of malware attacks that directly affect hospital information systems, potential ways that attackers can gain access to perform these threats, and ways to protect against these threats.
Malware Attacks Affecting Hospital IT Systems
Types of malware include Trojans, viruses, worms, bots, spyware, and rootkits. Stallings and Brown (2012) describes malware as “a program that is inserted into a system, usually covertly, with the intent of compromising the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the victim’s data, applications, or operating …show more content…
First and foremost, appropriate security must be maintained on all systems that have access to the network. This includes tasks like implementing an appropriate password policy, ensuring that only approved programs are installed, and making sure those programs are up to date to ensure the latest protection against threats. Firmware and software on all medical equipment must also be updated regularly, especially if connected the network. Installation, proper configuration, and monitoring of antivirus and antimalware is also needed to maintain up to date protection against the latest malware threats. While this seems like something that would be standard, Jaynathi (2015) explains that the MetroHealth breach earlier this year was tracked down to computers that had their antivirus solution disabled in order to perform an update. After the update, the antivirus was never re-enabled and allowed malware to infect the