Healthcare

The healthcare industry handles highly sensitive patient information and operates critical medical devices with life-saving technologies, making it a prime target for cyberattacks. With the increasing use of electronic health records (EHR), telemedicine platforms, and interconnected medical devices, healthcare organizations face the dual challenge of maintaining patient safety and securing vast amounts of confidential data from cyber threats such as ransomware, data breaches, and unauthorized access.

Our services begin with comprehensive risk assessments tailored to the healthcare sector, identifying vulnerabilities within both IT and medical devices connected to hospital and clinic networks. We work closely with healthcare providers to ensure compliance with key regulatory frameworks, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), helping organizations protect patient health information and meet regulatory controls.

Our assessment services allow healthcare organizations to proactively detect and address potential weaknesses in their systems. We provide advisory services on best practices for securing electronic health records, medical devices, and communication systems. Additionally, we help healthcare organizations build customized cybersecurity programs to maintain robust defenses against emerging threats.

By advising on risk mitigation strategies and creating programs that empower healthcare organizations to enhance their cybersecurity posture, we ensure they can focus on delivering patient care without compromising data security or regulatory compliance.

• Bottom line: Know what you’re protecting against.

• By gathering relevant threat assessment information from trusted sources, a clear picture of the adversary’s attributes and capabilities can be documented.

• The DBT is the threat against which an asset must be protected and upon which the protective system’s design is based. It is the baseline threat that facilities and other high-consequence assets are designed to withstand. The DBT includes the characteristics, attributes, and tactics of outsiders and insiders that could be used against the asset. Furthermore, a DBT is derived from credible intelligence information and other relevant threat data and is updated annually.

• The VISA Methodology is one of the many VA tools that can use a specified DBT to determine the overall system effectiveness of an integrated PPS (Physical Protection System). VISA looks at the functions of Detection, Assessment, Delay, and Response to baseline the PPS to make informed, risk-based decisions and determine cost-effective upgrades. VISA is a methodology relying on SME input to help determine overall systems effectiveness against attack scenarios involving outsiders, insiders, and insiders colluding with outsiders.

• The VISA tool and methodology has been used within the Department of Energy for decades along with other tools to protect and safeguard critical and strategic nuclear assets. While not new, it is effective. S3 has applied VISA to the government sector and other critical infrastructure.

• Process: S3 utilizes a 5-step process that is flexible to adapt to the current state of maturity of our clients’ security. The process may be followed from start to finish, in a serial fashion, or a specific step may be implemented to fit the current need. This process was developed by key personnel at S3 over decades of experience in the military, cybersecurity, law enforcement, and national security and by utilizing, adapting, and organizing best practices, tools, and methodologies from that experience.

• People and Teams: There are three teams critical to the success of the process: 1) the Core Stakeholder Team to define the objectives and oversee the process, 2) the Design Basis Threat Team to define the threat and unacceptable consequences, 3) and the Vulnerability Assessment Team to exercise the situations against the DBT and to meet the objectives set by the Core Stakeholder Team.

• Methodology and tools to facilitate the key steps, specifically the Design Basis Threat Tool and Vulnerability Assessment Tool for steps 2 and 3.

An insider is any person who has or had authorized access to or knowledge of an organization’s resources and operations including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, networks, and systems. This includes employees, contractors, and vendors and both physical access and cybersecurity domains.  Your insider threat is the potential for an insider to use their authorized access or understanding of your organization to cause harm or collude with outsiders.

S3 can help you develop an Insider Threat Mitigation Program to:

• Define the threats
• Identify and detect insider threats
• Assess insider threats
• Manage the threats

The theft, diversion, or sabotage of radiological materials used for therapeutics and diagnostics in healthcare poses a significant risk.  Licensed holders of these materials are subject to regulatory requirements and have responsibility to implement proper safeguards. S3 can assist you:

• Assess current physical and cybersecurity measures
• Identify  threats and vulnerabilities
• Create or augment your security and response plan
• Provide training

Bomb threats involving hospitals and other healthcare facilities can have severe impacts on facilities, groups, activities or events, as well as on the patients, staff, and community. These threats are dangerous, disruptive and expensive. Not only can they interrupt hospital and healthcare operations, but they can also cause emotional distress to the patients, staff, and community.

Having a bomb threat response plan enables hospital and healthcare decision-makers to respond more effectively to these criminal activities, mitigating the impact a bomb threat can have on a hospital or healthcare facility.

Safeguards 3 can assist hospitals and other healthcare facilities in developing, implementing, and exercising their bomb threat response plan in alignment with best practices.