According to new research published by Dark Owl and SecurityScorecard, the increasingly rapid development of technology enabling the delivery of virtual health services has created more risks for both healthcare organizations and patients. The mass adoption of telehealth over the past few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on the cybersecurity industry as it has introduced a plethora of new risks and potential exposure of sensitive patient data. When new cyber initiatives are rushed, there can be heightened risks in terms of cybersecurity due to the speed of the process and rollout of new services, including a broadened attack surface.
SecurityScorecard and Dark Owl analyzed data from the use of telehealth products from 148 unique vendors within the industry. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the US, the use of telehealth products and services was steadily weighing in at less than 1% of visits to healthcare providers. However, the use of telehealth apps has soared a dramatic 350% since late February, according to a report published by the previously aforementioned security organizations. The speed of the transition between in-person visits to telehealth gave healthcare providers little time to properly vet and secure the products for security issues, resulting in more privacy risks for patients.
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