The New National Cyber Strategy and its Challenges for Healthcare

The new national cybersecurity strategy presents challenges and opportunities for the healthcare industry. While the strategy provides opportunities for healthcare entities to enhance their cybersecurity posture, the industry also faces challenges, such as limited resources and a reactive security posture. To address these challenges and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new strategy, healthcare entities need to adopt a time-to-value focused approach that emphasizes measurable value from cybersecurity investments in less time. Collaboration with other sectors and industries is also necessary for better threat information sharing and mitigation.

• Healthcare industry faces challenges in cybersecurity, such as limited resources and reactive security posture.
• The new national cybersecurity strategy provides opportunities for healthcare entities to improve their cybersecurity posture by investing in advanced security solutions and enhancing collaboration and information sharing.
• A time-to-value focused approach is necessary to prioritize cybersecurity initiatives based on their potential impact.
• The healthcare industry must collaborate and work towards a more secure cyberspace through public-private partnerships and better information sharing.
• Healthcare entities must adhere to existing standards and emerging best practices for secure software development and cybersecurity.
• The new national cybersecurity strategy will require healthcare entities to improve their cybersecurity posture and work towards a more secure cyberspace.

Challenges facing the healthcare industry

The healthcare industry faces several challenges in terms of cybersecurity. One of the biggest challenges is the need for more resources and expertise. Many healthcare entities operate with limited budgets and staff, making investing in advanced security solutions or hiring dedicated cybersecurity personnel difficult. This can leave them vulnerable to cyber threats, constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated.

Another challenge is a reactive security posture and inadequate leadership. Some healthcare organizations only address cybersecurity issues after a breach or other security incident rather than proactively working to prevent them. Additionally, leadership may not prioritize cybersecurity or learn from past incidents, which can perpetuate a cycle of vulnerability.

To address these challenges, a holistic approach to cybersecurity is needed. More than simply simply simply providing more money to organizations for advanced security solutions is required. Healthcare entities must also address administrative, physical, and technical aspects of securing data and assets. Collaboration with other sectors and industries is also necessary for better threat information sharing and mitigation.

Opportunities for the healthcare industry

The new national cybersecurity strategy provides essential opportunities for the healthcare industry to improve its cybersecurity posture. One possibility is building a more robust cybersecurity posture to defend against and respond to ever-evolving threats, and this involves investing in advanced security solutions and hiring dedicated cybersecurity personnel to address security issues proactively.

Another opportunity is enhancing collaboration and information sharing with other sectors and industries. Better collaboration and sharing of threat information can help healthcare entities avoid potential cyber attacks and mitigate them more effectively. Public-private partnerships, including with international partners, can also help solve cybersecurity problems relating to cyber diplomacy and day-to-day operational security matters.

Overall, the new national cybersecurity strategy allows the healthcare industry to work towards a more secure cyberspace. By building a more robust cybersecurity posture and enhancing collaboration and information sharing, healthcare entities can better defend against cyber threats and respond to them more effectively.

New approach: Time-to-value focused

To address the challenges facing the healthcare industry and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new national cybersecurity strategy, a new approach is needed that is time-to-value focused. This approach emphasizes achieving measurable value from cybersecurity investments in less time. It is essential for healthcare entities, which may have limited resources and need to prioritize cybersecurity initiatives based on their potential impact.

One aspect of this new approach is setting minimum security requirements to improve cybersecurity posture. The Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) developed by the Health Sector Coordinating Council and the Department of Health and Human Services provides a voluntary set of practices that could serve as a basis for minimum cybersecurity requirements in the healthcare industry.

Another aspect of the time-to-value-focused approach is the potential for a cybersecurity version of the "meaningful use" policy. This policy could incentivize healthcare entities to adopt and adhere to higher cybersecurity standards while establishing penalties for non-compliance. By incentivizing healthcare entities to prioritize cybersecurity and invest in advanced security solutions, this policy could help improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the healthcare industry.

Implications of the new national cybersecurity strategy for the healthcare industry

The new national cybersecurity strategy has important implications for the healthcare industry. One sense is that the healthcare sector can expect continued scrutiny of cybersecurity practices by regulatory authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services. Healthcare entities must adhere to existing standards and emerging best practices for secure software development and cybersecurity.

Another implication is the broad application of the 2022 cyber incident reporting legislation to the healthcare sector. This legislation requires federal agencies and contractors to report specific cyber incidents to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within a particular timeframe. The legislation could include the healthcare sector, further increasing transparency and accountability around cybersecurity incidents in the industry.

Finally, there is the potential for legislation to expand private-sector responsibilities for cybersecurity. While industry trade groups and legislators may oppose federal mandates, some healthcare entities may be hungry for more solid direction. There is a need to balance regulation and incentives to ensure healthcare entities prioritize cybersecurity and invest in advanced security solutions. The new national cybersecurity strategy will require healthcare entities to improve their cybersecurity posture and work towards a more secure cyberspace.

Call to Action: Working Towards a More Secure Cyberspace

The new national cybersecurity strategy presents challenges and opportunities for the healthcare industry. The industry needs more resources, expertise, a reactive security posture, and inadequate leadership. However, the new strategy offers opportunities to build a more robust cybersecurity posture and enhance collaboration and information sharing with other sectors and industries.

To take advantage of these opportunities and address the challenges facing the industry, a new approach is needed that is time-to-value focused. This approach emphasizes achieving measurable value from cybersecurity investments in less time. Setting minimum security requirements and potentially implementing a cybersecurity version of the "meaningful use" policy are two ways this approach could be implemented in the healthcare industry.

Ultimately, healthcare entities must collaborate and work towards a more secure cyberspace. By prioritizing cybersecurity and investing in advanced security solutions, the industry can better defend against cyber threats and respond to them more effectively. This will require public-private partnerships and better information sharing between healthcare entities and other sectors and industries. Working together, the healthcare industry can help ensure the security and privacy of patient data and assets

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