Healthcare Supply Chain Cybersecurity Risk Management was published by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). The paper, which was written by the Health Information Management Working Group, offers best practices for healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) to address cybersecurity risks in their supply chains.
Many other types of supply chain vendors pose hazards to HDOs, including food suppliers, software providers, medical equipment, medications, and everyday medical supplies. The repercussions of a cyber disaster are drastically increased as a result of this intricacy and interdependency, ranging from the exposure of sensitive personal information to the interruption of real supply chain provisioning.
“Each year, healthcare delivery companies spend billions of dollars with thousands of vendors. Current ways to measuring and managing vendor risks, however, appear to be failing, according to study. The shift to cloud and edge computing has broadened HDOs’ electronic perimeters, making it more difficult to defend their infrastructure while also making them more appealing targets for assaults.
Dr. James Angle, the paper’s primary author and co-chair of the Health Information Management Working Group, stated, “Given the importance of the supply chain, it’s vital that HDOs identify, analyse, and mitigate supply chain cyber threats to guarantee their business resilience.”
As HDOs and their suppliers remain high-value targets, cyberattacks are more costly than ever. Furthermore, issues with current methods to supply chain risk management are putting further financial strain on businesses, as penalties and investigations from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Civil Rights have increased.
“Unfortunately, supply chain exploitation is more than a threat; it is a reality.” “An unsecure supply chain may have a major impact on an HDO’s risk profile and security, not to mention its financial line,” stated Michael Roza, CSA Fellow and study writer. “It is consequently incumbent on HDOs to guarantee that their supply chain partners adhere to data management standards in order to protect their companies and their consumers.”
When it comes to tackling cyber risk and security in the supply chain, HDOs should:
All suppliers are inventoried, then prioritised, and strategic suppliers are identified.
If feasible, use a third-party risk rating service to tier providers depending on risk.
Suppliers are contractually obligated to uphold security requirements.