News Feature | March 31, 2016

Healthcare Training Program Launched As Data Breach Threats Escalate

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

6 Security Laws IT Solutions Providers Should Know

Program helps companies assess and manage their security risks, protect critical patient data.

The threat of data breaches is escalating with healthcare organizations facing data compromise through loss or theft of devices, internal threats, and now ransomware. To help healthcare organizations face these growing threats with greater confidence, Wombat Security Technologies has launched a comprehensive healthcare program designed to help healthcare providers protect critical patient information.

According to Symantec’s 2015 Internet Security Breach Report, healthcare has reported the largest number of data breaches four years in a row. The report states 37 percent of breaches are within healthcare, more than triple the number of breaches that happen in retail (11 percent).

Wombat’s bundled solution includes CyberStrength knowledge assessments, ThreatSim simulated phishing attack tool, interactive training modules, and security awareness materials. It aims to supply healthcare providers with the necessary tools to protect and deflect data breaches within their organizations.

Wombat’s solutions helped their customers achieve a 90 percent reduction in successful phishing attacks and malware infections. “Since partnering with Wombat, we've seen a significant increase in user awareness and recognition of suspicious emails,” said the Senior Manager of IT Operation at Monongahela Valley Hospital. “Instead of clicking on these messages, our employees have caught and alerted us to more than 10 separate phishing attacks, and in the 10 months following the launch of our Wombat training program; we have seen a dramatic decline in infections caused by inappropriate email activity.”

A recent report by Ponemon/IBM, 2015 Cost of a Data Breach Study, found the average global per-record cost of a healthcare data breach is $363, which is more than twice the $154 average per-record cost across all global industries. That means healthcare is facing particularly dangerous and costly threats from cybercriminals who aim to profit from the valuable protected health information they hold.

“Healthcare institutions are increasingly targeted by hackers, making it absolutely critical to deliver effective training to anyone who is not well-informed of HIPAA-mandated safeguards,” said Joe Ferrara, President and CEO of Wombat Security.