Australia’s healthcare data security is sick – but there is a cure
If you ever want to find out what sorts of data cyber-criminals are targeting, there's a simple rule; follow the money. And some of the most valuable commodities threat actors are looking for comes from the healthcare sector. As hospitals, medical practitioners and allied health professionals digitise more of their systems and workflow, and people use more wearable devices to monitor and improve their health, the amount of data that is being exposed is growing. In Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) publishes a report every six months detailing the most common types of data breaches and which sectors are targeted. Health service providers reported the most breaches in the latest report, and that number has risen for every period the report has been issued. Almost half of those breaches were the result of malicious activity or criminal acts, according to the OAIC. Right across the Asia Pacific region, we are seeing attacks that specifically atta
