The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid implementation of new technologies in the medical industry, which prompted an increased amount of cyberattacks on hospitals, health systems and research facilities. Despite the fact that a greater proportion (5-10%) of the IT budget is being spent on cybersecurity, a number of barriers, such as data compliance or slow integration of multi-factor authentication, still exist in providing greater levels of security, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Kamilla Kan, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Various healthcare facilities are particularly sensitive to cyberattacks due to the nature of information they contain and the healthcare industry has been slow to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital technologies like wearable devices. However, with the recent mass implementation of new technologies, healthcare providers are now beginning to shift to prioritizing data protection and cybersecurity. According to GlobalData, the global security industry will be worth nearly $238bn by 2030, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% between 2019 and 2030.”

BD recently proposed adopting ‘Zero Trust’ security principles, which assume there is no trust already in place when someone or something requests access to work assets. You must first verify their trustworthiness before granting access. This is an increasingly important principle in trying to improve cybersecurity but it is unclear whether it will be implemented by the healthcare industry. And if so, how quickly.

Security vendors are already using methods such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to protect the healthcare industry from cyberattacks, as these technologies can be used to analyze the growing landscape and discover potential attacks. At the same time, there are already fears that AI will also be adopted by hackers for offensive purposes.