Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
CybersecurityManagementSecurity Leadership and ManagementLogical SecurityCybersecurity NewsHospitals & Medical Centers

Protecting healthcare data during the COVID-19 pandemic

By Syam Mamidi
healthcare data security
April 12, 2022

In the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Americans have lived through the most significant economic disruption since the Great Depression and the deadliest public health event since the Spanish Flu more than a century ago. But the country has also seen an incredible response from health departments and pharmaceutical companies to blunt the spread of the disease while developing vaccines and innovative therapy to protect or treat the infected.

However, the response to this disease has raised many new issues for hospitals, public health departments and medical professionals — how can organizations safely collect and distribute sensitive personal data that is compliant with HIPAA regulations?

The pandemic has seen an explosion in medical records. There are test results for the virus, vaccine records and, for those hospitalized, there is a list of drugs or treatments the patient received. On top of that, public health departments need to keep track of many different figures, like vaccination rates, the number of patients in the state's ICU, or those who have died due to the disease. In short, a large amount of data needs to be collected and shared securely. Here are some strategies and procedures to help prevent this highly confidential information from being breached or misused.

De-identify data

When patient information is shared outside of a healthcare setting, the data should be scrubbed of any information identifying the patient. Various types of software can easily remove personal identifiable information (PII) such as names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers from records. Without this type of information, the data can still help officials manage the pandemic response with no chance of anyone matching records to patients.

Control of the cloud

Many healthcare systems and departments utilize cloud-based storage for these records. It helps make the data accessible to authorized personnel regardless of where they are or the time of day. Cloud providers can help ensure that the servers run current software and have up-to-date security patches to eliminate known vulnerabilities. The system monitors and logs any attempt to access the system and can recognize brute force attacks as they occur to prevent access.

While cloud platforms maintain the infrastructure configuration and security, it is still the user's responsibility to implement these updates and patch their own environments effectively. The user is still responsible for securing the data that resides within the infrastructure. Security measures such as end-to-end data encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA) go a long way in protecting the data from external threats.

Securing laptops and mobile devices

Today, the majority of people work with laptops or smartphones. They are powerful, convenient and connected. But they can be lost or stolen because they are designed to be easily carried. There are two methods to secure these devices to ensure their information is not stolen.

Cybersecurity teams should encrypt the device using full disk encryption. The system requires the user to enter a password to unlock the hard drive. If they fail to enter the correct password after a few tries, the device locks down and requires a unique key to access the data, which only a system administrator possesses.

IT departments should also set up mobile devices to continuously backup new data to the cloud. That way, if the device is lost, damaged or stolen, the information is still available to be restored on a different device. It is equally important that system administrators have remote access to the device so that it can be remotely wiped if it is misplaced.

Safety never takes a break

Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in systems, and public health organizations can be targeted. For that reason, cybersecurity professionals need to monitor their systems constantly, make sure they run the latest updates, encrypt data, and retain the ability to wipe devices remotely. Failing to take these precautions can lead to significant monetary penalties or reputational harm. Employing them, however, is not onerous or expensive, and the investment will be cheaper in the long run.

KEYWORDS: COVID-19 cyber security initiatives data collection encrypted devices healthcare cybersecurity personal identifiable information

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Syam Mamidi is an Automation Engineer at Strategic Solutions Group (SSG). With over 10 years of experience across software development, business analysis, user issue resolution and quality assurance, Syam supports digital transformation and interoperability solutions SSG is providing to the public health sector.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Security Leadership and Management
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Technologies & Solutions
    By: Charles Denyer
Manage My Account
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Coding

AI Emerges as the Top Concern for Security Leaders

Half open laptop

“Luigi Was Right”: A Look at the Website Sharing Data on More Than 1,000 Executives

Shopping mall

Victoria’s Secret Security Incident Shuts Down Website

Laptop with coding on ground

Stepping Into the Light: Why CISOs Are Replacing Black-Box Security With Open-Source XDR

Gift cards and credit cards

Why Are Cyberattacks Targeting Retail? Experts Share Their Thoughts

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

June 24, 2025

Inside a Modern GSOC: How Anthropic Benchmarks Risk Detection Tools for Speed and Accuracy

For today's security teams, making informed decisions in the first moments of a crisis is critical.

July 17, 2025

Tech in the Jungle: Leveraging Surveillance, Access Control, and Technology in Unique Environments

From animal habitats to bustling crowds of visitors, a zoo is a one-of-a-kind environment for deploying modern security technologies.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • education k-12 responsive default security

    Educational Organizations at Risk of Data Security Incidents during COVID-19 Pandemic

    See More
  • The Long and Winding Road to Cyber Recovery

    Human error poses cybersecurity challenges for 80% of businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic

    See More
  • Healthcare Data Compliance: Maintaining Integrity, Privacy and Security

    Four healthcare security lessons learned during the initial COVID-19 surge

    See More
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing