Protecting Hospital Systems From Cyberattack

October 21, 2024

Reading Time: 5 min.

Leaders at TransLogic, a Swisslog Healthcare Company Talk Cybersecurity

Jeff Huntington & Nagarajan Eswaran | 17 October, 2024

Cybersecurity In Healthcare

As we observe National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s the perfect opportunity to reaffirm the our commitment to securing our tube system for our customers. In today’s digital era, cybersecurity is critical, especially in healthcare systems where operational integrity is paramount. Healthcare organizations must not only prioritize efficiency but also ensure their technology is protected from evolving cyber threats. At Swisslog Healthcare, safeguarding our products remains a top priority. As these threats continue to evolve, we are dedicated to staying ahead by consistently enhancing our product security and practices.

In this post, we’ll explore the importance of cybersecurity in healthcare, our role in the cybersecurity landscape, and the specific steps we’ve taken to secure our product now and into the future.

The Importance of Cybersecurity in Healthcare

The frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks are rising, with businesses across sectors—especially healthcare—becoming prime targets. Whether politically or financially motivated, these attacks pose significant challenges for organizations like ours which provides systems critical to patient care.

Cybersecurity in healthcare is about more than just protecting patient data. It's about ensuring the smooth operation of life-saving technologies and systems. Hospitals rely heavily on automated systems to transport medical supplies, lab specimens, and medications efficiently. A breach or disruption in these systems could cause delays in care, jeopardize patient outcomes, and violate regulatory requirements like HIPAA, which mandates strict data security and privacy measures.

For example, a recent ransomware attack at University Medical Center Health Systems in Lubbock, Texas, disrupted multiple hospital systems and forced patient diversions to other facilities. This event highlights the national security risks tied to healthcare cyberattacks.

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How TransLogic, a Swisslog Healthcare Company, Fits into the Cybersecurity Landscape

Pneumatic tube systems are a crucial component of hospital logistics, rapidly transporting critical items between departments. While the system’s primary function is improving operational efficiency, its connection to hospital networks and clients also makes it a potential target for cybercriminals. That’s why securing this system is of utmost importance.

How We Continually Adapt and Improve Product Security

1. Secure Software Updates and Patch Management

We ensure secure delivery and installation of software updates and patches regularly. Keeping the system up to date with the latest software versions and security patches is essential. We offer regular updates that address vulnerabilities and bolster system defenses against emerging threats. It is important to keep your system up to date with the latest version of the tube system software to ensure it is the most secure system.

2. Access Control and User Authentication

The tube system implements strict user authentication mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to the system. This includes role-based access control (RBAC) to restrict access to critical system functions and logs to monitor system activities. The RBAC model implements the idea of least privilege, which ensures that authenticated users or processes can only allow minimal access to information, data, and resources to carry out their role and nothing more.

3. Vulnerability Management

We regularly scan our software and third-party components for vulnerabilities. Through automation, static and dynamic code scans are performed daily. This proactive approach helps us catch potential issues early, offering patches and remediation steps to prevent cyberattacks.

4. Compliance with Healthcare Standards

TransLogic and Swisslog Healthcare systems follow strict compliance standards, such as HIPAA and HITRUST, ensuring that healthcare data is handled securely in line with industry best practices.

Our systems help maintain secure transporting of lab samples, blood products, and medications. As these items often contain sensitive information, the system ensures that data is protected throughout its transit, minimizing unauthorized access and tampering through features such as secure sends and card scanning access to stations.

To meet HITRUST requirements, our applications and devices are subject to regular vulnerability scans, code reviews, secure access to source code, change management control procedures, and secure coding techniques training.

5. Physical Security Integration

Alongside cybersecurity, our systems are equipped and integrated with physical security measures. Physical security controls include measures such as access to stations, station badge authentication, secure send, and locked carriers to ensure that contents remain protected from unauthorized access or tampering during transit and at the destination. These measures also prevent unauthorized interference with system operations.

Summary

In today’s evolving digital landscape, the importance of cybersecurity in product development cannot be overstated. Every product release presents opportunities for both innovation and potential vulnerabilities. Prioritizing security at every stage of engineering ensures the product remains resilient against emerging threats, protecting TransLogic, Swisslog Healthcare, and our customers. As we continue to improve the product and build new and exciting features in the tube system for our customers, we must remember that cybersecurity is now a part of every release. Because in today’s world, security is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.