Security News > 2024 > July > Insecure file-sharing practices in healthcare put patient privacy at risk

Healthcare organizations continue to put their business and patients at risk of exposing their most sensitive data, according to Metomic.

While publicly shared files that contain highly sensitive data pose the biggest risk for healthcare organizations and underscore the need for data security and DLP tools, many of the access permissions for private files are never updated or removed.

Metomic's findings are extremely alarming considering the spiraling trend of data breaches happening across the healthcare space, a highly regulated industry that must follow strict data standards and legislative policies such as HIPAA and GDPR. According to The HIPAA Journal, the healthcare industry experienced more data breaches in 2021 than any previous year.

"The healthcare industry is plagued by rampant data breaches that are costing organizations millions of dollars and putting highly sensitive patient data and financial information at risk. After digging into these findings, it's clear that healthcare security leaders need more resources, DLP solutions, and data security tools to overcome the vast number of data security challenges they face day-to-day," said Rich Vibert, CEO, Metomic.

"Healthcare organizations need data security and DLP platforms that not only help protect highly sensitive information, but also provide tools to ensure employees are not inadvertently sharing data or giving access to files that put the organization at risk," added Vibert.

According to Metomic's research, 1% of publicly shared files owned by healthcare organizations contain PCI-a number that, at first glance, seems relatively tiny, but 1% means that there are easily accessible files that contain highly vulnerable financial data.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/07/30/healthcare-sensitive-data/