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Healthcare Cybersecurity Solutions Beyond Code Scan Tools

Josh Rank
March 22, 2023

Healthcare companies must ensure the highest level of cybersecurity protection because of the sensitivity of the data they handle.

Why It Matters: A successful cybersecurity strategy includes the efforts of all team members working in a unified fashion. A code scan tool is an essential aspect of a complete plan, but it is not the only piece to the puzzle.

Data security regulations need to be kept in mind when building a cybersecurity strategy.
Healthcare companies are among the most highly targeted by cybercriminals.
Failure to properly protect sensitive information can result in costly fines and penalties as well as losing public trust.

Here are 9 ways healthcare companies can protect their Salesforce environments:

Encryption
Data Backup and Recovery
DevSecOps Approach
Data Governance
Policy Scanning
Frequent System Audits
On-Premises Hosting
Continuous Monitoring
Updated Training

1. Encryption

Healthcare companies record, store, and use sensitive data that is very attractive to cybercriminals. This data would also be very damaging to patients if it were corrupted or exposed. And since healthcare companies need this data, they have to find ways to hide it in plain sight.

Encryption is a tool that obscures sensitive data, making it useless to cybercriminals, but still useful to the healthcare company.

Encryption supports the security provided by a code scan tool because it addresses the way in which sensitive data is stored. Encryption can be used in both live environments as well as in backup environments. And then when the data is ready to be used, it can be unencrypted and used like any other set of data.

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2. Data Backup and Recovery

Code scan tools help maintain high-quality applications and updates. But what happens to the data these applications handle if your system experiences an outage? It might be scary to consider worst-case scenarios, but healthcare companies need to plan for this when it comes to protecting data.

Having a recent backup snapshot of system data is essential to maintaining operations in the face of an outage. Not only do your clients rely on it—so does regulatory compliance.

A Salesforce backup tool that also provides recovery capabilities needs to adhere to a variety of stipulations in order to satisfy healthcare data security regulations. For instance, the GDPR requires that companies offer people the ability to request the deletion of their data—this includes removing the data from their backup repositories.

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3. DevSecOps Approach

Healthcare companies are among the most frequent targets for cybercriminals. This means they can’t afford to leave any security precaution on the table. DevSecOps is an emerging approach to Salesforce development that keeps data security considerations in mind at every step of the application lifecycle.

Healthcare companies must integrate a DevSecOps approach to their development pipeline to create the most secure and reliable updates and applications possible.

This necessitates clear communication between all team members, from planning all the way through deployment. Click here to learn more about instituting a DevSecOps approach.

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4. Data Governance

Data governance refers to the processes and standards an organization uses to maintain a high-quality data pool. And for healthcare companies, their data must remain uncompromised and properly organized. Failing to maintain proper data governance can result in lost, mishandled, or corrupted data—leading to falling out of regulatory compliance and losing consumer trust.

Data governance highlights inconsistencies in data pools, simplifies planning, heightens accountability, and cleans up your system.

Healthcare companies must efficiently manage their data, and this is the best way to do it. Instituting a data governance strategy—and maintaining it over time—increases oversight and enables teams to preserve data quality.

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5. Policy Scanning

The way your team members interact with your system has a massive impact on the success of your cybersecurity strategy. Something as simple as an accidental deletion can significantly impact the security and compliance of your Salesforce environment. So how can you be sure your team members are adhering to internal policies?

A policy manager automates the process of verifying adherence to native and non-native Salesforce policies as well as checking settings like permissions for proper configurations.

Improper settings can lead to overexposure of data. More people having access to a pool of data increases the likelihood of a costly mistake. These scans reduce the chances of this happening and increase the security of healthcare data.

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6. Frequent System Audits

Cyberthreats don’t always make themselves immediately known. Likewise, vulnerabilities can exist in your system without you knowing about them. And the only way to find either of these potentially catastrophic scenarios is to go looking for them.

Healthcare companies need to leverage automated scanning tools to find technical debt, system irregularities, and other potential vulnerabilities.

A code scan tool can be used to find technical debt, but that isn’t the only system scan healthcare companies need to utilize. Measures like analyzing access logs and export reports need to be continually incorporated to stay on top of irregularities that could point to vulnerabilities.

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7. On-Premises Hosting

Salesforce exists in the cloud. And for many industries, this is a huge advantage. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. Companies that need the highest levels of cybersecurity can only achieve this by instituting total control over their platform. But when you’re connected to the cloud, there are inherent and unavoidable risks.

On-premises hosting gives companies ultimate control over who accesses their system. Healthcare companies should consider whether this is a viable option to support their cybersecurity strategy.

This cybersecurity solution won’t work for every healthcare company. But it’s worth looking into your hosting options to install protections wherever possible.

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8. Continuous Monitoring

Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve over time. This means our responses to these threats need to advance alongside them or risk becoming outdated. And the only way to know if techniques are still working is by continuously monitoring your systems.

Set up automated reports that outline the successes and failures of your DevOps pipeline, access reports, and failure reports for each section of your system.

Updated visibility into the health of your Salesforce environment helps you stay on top of potential vulnerabilities. Code scan tools can then be leveraged to quickly create updates and applications to address any bugs and errors identified.

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9. Updated Training

We’ve mentioned how team members have a huge impact on the health of your Salesforce environment. Simple mistakes can have implications that negatively affect regulatory compliance, security, and patient data. Healthcare companies simply can’t risk this type of vulnerability. Even though some level of risk is unavoidable, steps can be taken to minimize it.

Continuous cybersecurity training for security measures, such as password strength, accessing company systems only on secured networks, and spotting phishing attempts, can save healthcare companies significant losses of time and money.

The healthcare industry needs to take cybersecurity precautions that others might not. Code scan tools go a long way toward creating secure applications and updates, but the system around these updates also needs to be secure. Taking the time to equip each area with the proper security enhancements will help you protect sensitive healthcare data.

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Next Step…

Strong code benefits every aspect of a Salesforce DevOps pipeline. Are you curious about how a code scan tool will fit into a larger CI/CD approach?

Read our blog, How Does a Salesforce Code Analysis Tool Work With CI/CD?, to get a better idea of the bigger picture, and how you can create the best possible updates and applications.

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FAQs

Is the healthcare industry a frequent target of cybercrime?

Yes. The sensitive nature of patient data and the increasing reliance on digital systems make the healthcare industry a lucrative target for cybercriminals. Healthcare organizations are often targeted with ransomware attacks, phishing scams, and data breaches, all of which can result in the theft of private patient data and the disruption of essential healthcare services. Healthcare companies need to be vigilant about data security to protect both their clients as well as themselves. A data breach can result in fines and penalties from regulatory agencies and damage patient trust.

What happens if a healthcare company is found to be noncompliant with data security regulations?

A healthcare company that falls out of compliance with data security regulations can face a variety of consequences:

Assessment of fines and penalties
Loss of consumer trust
Litigation
Reputational damage
Regulatory action

It’s critical for healthcare companies to remain compliant with data security regulations to avoid these consequences and ensure the protection of sensitive patient information.

The exact regulations that apply to your organization depend on the location of your company and the location of your clients. The types of information you store in your system also have an impact on applicable regulations. But it’s your responsibility to know which regulations apply to you and how to fulfill their requirements.

What are the most common types of cyberattacks on healthcare organizations?

Ransomware, phishing, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are among the most frequent threats to the cybersecurity of healthcare organizations. These kinds of attacks are varied and serious, which means your response to them needs to be comprehensive. This includes ensuring your team members are adhering to company policies and best practices as well as sourcing adequate cybersecurity tooling.

Constant monitoring is essential in securing your Salesforce environment. Continually analyze your access logs and other reports to ensure there is no active cyberattack within your system, since they can sometimes go unnoticed for extended periods of time, drastically increasing the damage.

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Healthcare Cybersecurity Solutions Beyond Code Scan Tools

1. Encryption

2. Data Backup and Recovery

3. DevSecOps Approach

4. Data Governance

5. Policy Scanning

6. Frequent System Audits

7. On-Premises Hosting

8. Continuous Monitoring

9. Updated Training

Next Step…

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