Recommendations for cybersecurity of healthcare institutions

With the beginning of 2023, when the war in Ukraine continues and the number of hacker attacks increases, we emphasize that cybersecurity should be a priority for government institutions. In particular, awareness of threat protection measures today plays a key role in increasing the resilience of cyber defense of healthcare institutions.

To preserve the confidentiality of information related to personal medical information and personal data of patients, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the USAID Healthcare Reform Support Project have developed guidelines for cybersecurity of healthcare facilities.

We have highlighted a number of recommendations from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine that will help Ukrainian medical institutions ensure an adequate level of information security. Among them:

Confidentiality
Encryption of restricted data;
Identification of users of information systems;
Control of access to information;
Integrity of patient data (backup);
Accessibility of medical information in case of emergency.

We also advise healthcare facilities to take care of:

Antivirus protection. Antivirus software should have official service support and be updated periodically.
Software. Only certified software that meets all permits and information security requirements should be used on internal computers and networks of the institution.

In addition, you should follow the recommendations for the physical security of the institution:

Server and communication equipment should be located in rooms with limited access. Equipment should be installed in specialized cabinets that are locked during operation;
Workstations, laptops and other digital equipment located in the area permitted for visitors should be equipped with special computer locks for fixing to the established location, which will make it impossible to move them from the established location;
Server and network equipment must be provided with main and backup uninterruptible power supply.

Compliance with these requirements will help to protect the staff of the medical institution and its patients from potential threats in cyberspace.

Datastream based on materials from https://moz.gov.ua

You can get qualified advice on the design, purchase and implementation of cybersecurity systems that meet these standards from Datastream LLC specialists by calling :+38 (044) 495-34-15 or by filling out the form on the website.