Introduction Snapchat defines “Snap Map” as a feature where you and your friends can share your locations with one another, and take a peek into the lives of others around you. While this feature is extremely convenient to let all of your friends know of your whereabouts, what if it isn’t just your friends who have access to your exact location? What about medical devices such as pacemakers that can indirectly provide medical examiners the intensity of activities you were performing at a specific time? Can this information ever be forcibly used against you? In the case of pacemakers, it was for one patient, Ross Compton, who was accused of arson because of statistical evidence on his pacemaker that contradicted his testimony (Wootson). With …show more content…
While magic and luck aren’t the cause, an algorithm that tracks your search history and “likes” may be the reason why. Some major online websites that track users for targeted advertising purposes are Facebook, Google, and Yahoo. Through this, a user’s preferences are easily accessed by major social media and search engine websites. It is also a major reason as to how certain ads know your location and present local advertisements and services, using real-time information stored by your device to track your location …show more content…
For example, in Fitbits, users are easily able to access their health data, such as number of steps taken, number of calories burned, etc. In comparison, for pacemakers, patients are often not allowed to access their data at all, thereby restricting access of personal data to just medical professionals and data collectors. When considering that the user in question cannot access their own private data, regulations are imperative in preventing such data from reaching the wrong hands. In this field, medical devices use encryption to deter hackers or other unwanted visitors from accessing sensitive data (Eramo), but as seen from Mark Gasson, it is not guaranteed to work. By infecting an RFID chip in his hand with a virus, Gasson determined that the virus located in his hand was able to infect external systems (Cellan-Jones). Although medical devices proclaim to be secure, the risk of a virus from another piece of technology infecting these devices is high, with extremely serious consequences. It is imperative to continue pressing for answers regarding the secureness of medical devices and push for more knowledge regarding third party servers that may use medical data for reasons other than
CipherPoint software, inc.; CipherPoint announces data security solutions suite for healthcare organizations. (2013). Information Technology Business, , 73. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1428354374?accountid=458
Data security is used to prevent anything that is unauthorized, and it helps to protect all of the data from any corruption. Almost daily, media reports highlight the failure of health care organizations to safeguard the privacy and security of patient data, whether electronic or paper. Preventing data breaches has become more complex, and at the same time, the fines being levied against health care organizations for violating the Health Insurance, (Zamosky, 2014).# In this paper, I will discuss the security measures, how the security measures used and how well did the security measure work.
Securing larger volumes of data than before, health care providers must be able to adapt to new methods of data storage and access of patient records. Security breaches in health care organizations is lost or stolen from unencrypted devices and media where the provider is using to retrieve records. As more health providers continue to use mobile devices to access pertinent information from electronic medical records systems the chances for breach increases so dramatically. (Rogers,
In this paper we identify security risks surrounding Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and discuss strategies healthcare providers can employ to mitigate those risks. We begin with a brief overview of the legislative history driving the rapid adoption of EMR and other health information technology.
Massive security breaches have run rampant throughout the healthcare industry, making EHR’s harder and harder to properly implement. With increased scrutiny and the stringent regulations surrounding the healthcare industry, protecting the healthcare information stored electronically is critical to the success of any future attempts at implementing healthcare electronic recording systems. The struggle lies in the fact that so many threats exist that any facility can be completely overwhelmed with the daunting task of securing information while attempting to implement new systems. Although Healthcare info has many threats such as human, technological, and natural threats, and it faces intense scrutiny due to the HIPAA regulation requirements, it is still possible to protect and secure it through physical, administrative, and technical safeguards.
Automation and interconnections with information in their healthcare environments need increasing support, security measures need to be implemented without disrupting the workflow of approved users, costs associated with data breaches and damage to their reputation need to be avoided. IT budgets constraints also impose limitations in many healthcare institutions. Compliance with security and privacy related regulations in healthcare and making sure what policies and standards should be implemented requires solutions that clearly address security challenges so that they can be integrated into a healthcare institution’s existing infrastructure and business practice. As data is transmitted across countless environments and is stored on an ever-expanding grouping of endpoint and storage devices such as computers, laptops, and removable storage devices, it will become evident that there will be a need for strong encryption. Under the HITECH Act and comparable state laws, encrypted data that is received or acquired by unauthorized persons through a lost or stolen electronic device or an errant email, is typically not considered a breach. However, healthcare institutions need to determine the level of encryption they should adopt. For example, a hospital could decide where there is the greatest risk of information loss (patient data in email messages or on storage drive) that is not on internal
Numerous health care industries have been victims of cyber-attacks. Such attacks occur when an isolated device transfers the stored medical data to the hospital’s network, which could possibly takeover the entire network of the hospital and intercept data exchange between the patient and the healthcare center. For instance, wearable devices such as the (insulin) diabetes kit that determines the exact amount to be discharged into the patient’s blood, based on
Multiple examples of negative outcomes are given within the article, with costs varying from monetary to the cost of an individual’s life. Seeing that medical technology is continuing its reliance on technology as it evolves, it becomes clear to see that there is a need to ensure that the technologies used within healthcare are not negatively impacted by the realization of a security risk. The question is how to lower these risks in a way that is not cost prohibitive but can still be useful.
Another study was conducted on the privacy impact of RFID tags used in medical facilities. The primary concern here is that RFID tags can be used by an unauthorized user. The perpetrator can solicit private information or gain access to medical history records of a patient. Juels (06) offered a novel access control mechanism. A technical solution that involved the use of encryption and symmetric key was suggested.
This research article examines the security concerns of using mobile technology systems in health care institution. Various methods of ensuring privacy and security of patient’s electronic medical information are addressed. This high quality article is relevant for present day mobile security issues. The authors utilize a host of credible references in the health care and information technology fields.
In a world full of electronics it would only seem logical to have health records electronic. Not only are medical records efficient, reliable, and quick to access, new technology allow patients to access their own personal medical records with a simple to use login and password. “People are asking whether any kind of electronic records can be made safe. If one is looking for a 100% privacy guarantee, the answer is no”(Thede, 2010). At my hospital, upon every admission we ask the patient for a password for friends and family to have to have if they would like an update on the patient 's condition. We do not let visitors come up and see the patient without the patient 's consent. In doing these things, we help to ensure the safety and protection of the patient 's health information and privacy.
In today’s health care industry providing quality patient care and avoiding harm are the foundations of ethical practices. However, many health care professionals are not meeting the guidelines or expectations of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) or obeying the organizations code of ethics policies, especially with the use of electronic medical records (EMR). Many patients fear that their personal health information (PHI) will be disclosed by hackers or unauthorized users. According to Carel (2010) “ethical concerns shroud the
Information security and privacy is occupying a most important role in the healthcare territory in order to deliver protected information process to their patients (Appari, & Johnson, 2010). As healthcare department is the organization with vast data and essential information the hospitals has to keep a useful information security technique in their enterprise process (Mishra et al., 2011). Information security is one such phase in the healthcare sphere which is extremely problematic to describe and evaluate even to the individuals who are working on the process. In the healthcare organization, information is of many types which required for the work and even the security is a main control for almost all the practices which are transmitted out in the healthcare field (Appari, & Johnson, 2010). Hospitals, in specific, have been instructed to create a new set of security specialists to protect healthcare data tools techniques upon which exists may rely. Healthcare data is very critical for patients because it is very confidential records. If a medical apparatus is filled with a computer virus it can even exemplify a possibility to patients ' lives. Hence, hospitals should design alertness of the risk, to defend against concerns to healthcare databanks and be concerned about the high risk of infected computers or medical tools being connected to their networks (Mishra et al., 2011).
In light of available security measures and their widespread acceptance within the information security community, there is no excuse for healthcare organizations to fail in fulfilling their duty to protect personal patient information. Guaranteeing the confidentiality and privacy of data in healthcare information is crucial in safeguarding the data of patients as there should be a legal responsibility to protect medical records from unauthorized access.
Security vulnerabilities and improvements have not been well researched. The IoT in healthcare should ensure Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of patients’ personal data.