6 crucial steps to take to avoid a data breach

Recently, both Quest Diagnostics and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) announced related data breaches that may impact as many as 20 million customers who used their services between Aug. 1, 2018 and March 30. While details are still being confirmed from third party medical vendor American Medical Collections Agency (AMCA), the compromised customer data is thought to have included personal, financial and medical patient data such as first and last names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card or bank account information.“Healthcare companies have increasingly become a target for hackers and other bad actors given the vast amounts of information that is collected and stored across the medical ecosystem,” says Kelvin Coleman, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. “Businesses and organizations that accumulate data must operate with a deep understanding of the value of that data to cyber criminals and employ a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, including robust vendor management strategies.” Coleman offers six ways to stay safe.