The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s Cybersecurity Survey found that 35 percent of hospitals and 52 percent of non-acute providers do not encrypt their transmitted data, ITworld reports. Additionally, 61 percent of acute providers and 48 percent of non-acute providers encrypt resting data, the report adds. The study also found that many health care facilities do not use firewalls. Researchers cautioned that where there is tech, there are opportunities for breaches or ransomware. "Without a program in place, there can be a large time window for hackers to exploit an unpatched system (especially if systems are patched or upgraded on a reactive, ad hoc basis),” the study states. “Time is money, including for hackers, and they are likely to go after low-hanging fruit."
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