• TREND MICRO
  • ABOUT
Search:
  • Latest Posts
  • Categories
    • Android
    • AWS
    • Azure
    • Cloud
    • Compliance
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Cybercrime
    • Encryption
    • Financial Services
    • Government
    • Hacks
    • Healthcare
    • Internet of Everything
    • Malware
    • Microsoft
    • Mobile Security
    • Network
    • Privacy
    • Ransomware
    • Security
    • Social Media
    • Small Business
    • Targeted Attacks
    • Trend Spotlight
    • Virtualization
    • Vulnerabilities
    • Web Security
    • Zero Day Initiative
    • Industry News
  • Our Experts
    • Ed Cabrera
    • Rik Ferguson
    • Greg Young
    • Mark Nunnikhoven
    • Jon Clay
    • William “Bill” Malik
  • Research
Home   »   Industry News   »   Mobility   »   Report: Mobile technology increasing healthcare data security threats

Report: Mobile technology increasing healthcare data security threats

  • Posted on:March 28, 2012
  • Posted in:Mobility, Spotlight
  • Posted by:
    Trend Micro
0

Like many other industries around the world, healthcare has experienced skyrocketing demand for mobile technology during the past several years. Physicians, surgeons and insurance providers, to name a few, are all leveraging smartphones, tablets and mobile applications to improve patient care and increase the efficiency of processes with the sector.

But this trend certainly isn't without its caveats. Most significant may be the level of data security risk that the increased use of mobile technology presents in healthcare.

According to a recent survey conducted by GovernmentHealthIT and sponsored by federal contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, the number of healthcare-related data breaches spiked 97 percent between 2010 and 2011 – about the time that mobile device use really took off within the sector.

"With the rapid adoption of new mobile technologies, such as the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, organizations face new challenges and risks, as their networks add more access points," Booz Allen principal Ilene Yarnoff said. "A holistic risk management approach, rather than ad hoc process changes, is needed to meet today’s security requirements."

And the rise of healthcare mobility isn't expected to reverse anytime soon, as 80 percent of respondents told researchers that devices will become more important to their businesses during the next five years.

A separate poll recently conducted by Aruba Networks produced similar findings. The survey, which included 130 healthcare IT professionals, showed that 85 percent said their organizations support personally owned devices.

Eighty-three percent of respondents said their companies support the iPad, 65 percent indicated support for the iPhone or iPod Touch, 52 percent cited BlackBerry devices and 46 percent highlighted support for Android-powered tablets and smartphones.

To protect themselves, healthcare organizations are encouraged to make data security a priority when leveraging mobile devices, according to the GovernmentHealthIT and Booz Allen report.

"Until ubiquitous, interoperable, secure industry standards and protocols are approved and widely adopted on the technology side, organizations will need to implement their own security solutions that will allow them to operate securely within their enterprises," Booz Allen senior vice president Natalie Givans said.

Enterprise users aren't alone in recognizing the benefits of mobile devices, as cybercriminals have also taken note of their popularity and are developing attacks accordingly. The latest Mobile Threat Report from Juniper Research revealed that cyberattacks targeting Android-based devices alone skyrocketed 3,325 percent during the final seven months of 2011.

Consumerization News from SimplySecurity.com by Trend Micro

Related posts:

  1. Report: Executives must be involved in mobile security strategy
  2. Healthcare data breaches on the rise as new technology is introduced (op/ed)
  3. Report: Mobile security threats will double in 2011
  4. Report suggests mobile data use grows despite lingering security concerns

Security Intelligence Blog

  • Our New Blog
  • How Unsecure gRPC Implementations Can Compromise APIs, Applications
  • XCSSET Mac Malware: Infects Xcode Projects, Performs UXSS Attack on Safari, Other Browsers, Leverages Zero-day Exploits

Featured Authors

Ed Cabrera (Chief Cybersecurity Officer)
Ed Cabrera (Chief Cybersecurity Officer)
  • Ransomware is Still a Blight on Business
Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)
Greg Young (Vice President for Cybersecurity)
  • Not Just Good Security Products, But a Good Partner
Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
Jon Clay (Global Threat Communications)
  • This Week in Security News: Ransomware Gang is Raking in Tens of Millions of Dollars and Microsoft Patch Tuesday Update Fixes 17 Critical Bugs
Mark Nunnikhoven (Vice President, Cloud Research)
Mark Nunnikhoven (Vice President, Cloud Research)
  • Twitter Hacked in Bitcoin Scam
Rik Ferguson (VP, Security Research)
Rik Ferguson (VP, Security Research)
  • The Sky Has Already Fallen (you just haven’t seen the alert yet)
William
William "Bill" Malik (CISA VP Infrastructure Strategies)
  • Black Hat Trip Report – Trend Micro

Follow Us

Trend Micro In The News

  • Advanced Cloud-Native Container Security Added to Trend Micro's Cloud One Services Platform
  • Trend Micro Goes Global to Find Entrepreneurs Set to Unlock the Smart Connected World
  • Winners of Trend Micro Global Capture the Flag Demonstrate Excellence in Cybersecurity
  • Companies Leveraging AWS Well-Architected Reviews Now Benefit from Security Innovations from Trend Micro
  • Trend Micro Announces World's First Cloud-Native File Storage Security
  • Home and Home Office
  • |
  • For Business
  • |
  • Security Intelligence
  • |
  • About Trend Micro
  • Asia Pacific Region (APAC): Australia / New Zealand, 中国, 日本, 대한민국, 台灣
  • Latin America Region (LAR): Brasil, México
  • North America Region (NABU): United States, Canada
  • Europe, Middle East, & Africa Region (EMEA): France, Deutschland / Österreich / Schweiz, Italia, Россия, España, United Kingdom / Ireland
  • Privacy Statement
  • Legal Policies
  • Copyright © 2017 Trend Micro Incorporated. All rights reserved.