In healthcare, like in all other organizations, data security is of utmost significance to all stakeholders. Therefore, medical facilities should not only find accurate methods to react to security threats but also prevent and anticipate attacks. If the setup of a database is thorough and accurately set up, then attackers might seek other means to try and gain access to the system by “reading or writing the data directly, either when it is stored in disk files or when it is in transit” (Malcher et al., 2014). It, then means that to safeguard this option well a healthcare organization has to encrypt this data, either in use, in motion across departments, or at rest in the company’s hard disks.

Data at rest is relatively secure, though not entirely impregnable. Antimalware and antiviruses enable the organization to protect research and patient records by preventing unauthorized activities in the system. However, with the use of encryption of files, all the information stored in hard drives will be permanently inaccessible to outsiders who may want to write directly on it. Protecting the data may be crucial in saving executives the need to identify the methods to use in determining what is significant to safeguard and what is relatively is not.

Active data, which is always in use, is relatively at higher risk, especially when the number of users with access to that information is high. Protection of this type of data involves the authentication of all users to ensure that attackers do not hide behind guest user accounts and then launch attacks by exploiting vulnerabilities. Encrypted information will ensure that all bits of information are inaccessible unless the user has relevant credentials. The administration should strictly track users to ensure that they “can detect suspicious activity, diagnose potential threats, and proactively improve security” (Janacek, 2019).

Data in motion poses a great opportunity for attackers to gain access and bypass a security system. Information in this state is, therefore, the most vulnerable. It remains easier at this day and age for persons to target data meant to reach a different department. This traffic could then be subject to corruption, manipulation or theft of data without the knowledge of the organization. Fortunately, the healthcare establishment can use SSL or Oracle Native Encryption which provides both encryption and integrity maintenance. This safeguard ensures that when data moves through the secure platforms, it remains confidential and cannot be used a ladder for a grander plan by cyber attackers (Malcher et al., 2014).

In light of this, it is of utmost significance to the organization that this data in all of these three levels is safe. “Data encryption is the process of translating one form of data into another form of data that unauthorized users can’t decrypt” (Technologies, 2019). Information in this format cannot be useful in the hands of unauthorized personnel, and the cybercriminals most assuredly cannot use it for any imaginable purpose. However, executives and staff should also take it upon themselves to safeguard the encryption key, which functions as a gate-pass to all the treasured corporate data of the organization.

References

Janacek, B. (2019). Best Practices: Securing Data at Rest, in Use, and in Motion – DataMotion. Retrieved from https://www.datamotion.com/2015/12/best-practices-securing-data-at-rest-in-use-and-in-motion/

Malcher, M., Needham, P., Rotondon, S., &Kyte, T. (2014). Securing Oracle Database 12c: A Technical Primer. Mcgraw-Hill Education.

Technologies, B. (2019). What is Encryption at Rest, and Why is it Important for your Business?. Retrieved from https://brightlineit.com/encryption-at-rest-important-business/

 
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