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Mobile Apps (portable Devices), Social Media and Health Informatics

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Mobile Apps (portable Devices), Social Media and Health Informatics

Portable devices such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones can be used in the storage of information in the healthcare industry. Notwithstanding the fact that these devices have proved to the indispensable from time to time, they are affected by data loss. Just like the case for retail organizations, companies in the healthcare industry process important information, and data about their patents. In view of the fact that the information provided to high-end healthcare centers is often private; hence, the need to protect it (Danie et al., 2018). Also, there is the desirability to have information provided by customers protected. At the moment, research evidence points to the stance that hospitals and clinics have been diversified into rather complex structures in the wake of the digital world. This has created loopholes within the industry where fraudsters and data miners try to gain access to information about their customers. Therefore, improving cybersecurity is not an option for these institutions. As will be seen in the succeeding factions of the paper, cybersecurity is required in the digital world as prompted by the stance that there is the requirement to keep customer details private, prevent data loss, interference from third parties (André, 2019). Besides, the healthcare industry is buttressed on networks that are likely to be accessed by fraudsters (Lhotská et al., 2018).  Cybersecurity is a significant concern in the healthcare industry that can be improved through the formulation of decent laws, and developing effective regulations to run the internal concerns of different institutions in the healthcare industry, as witnessed in the recent reports in Mandarin Oriental Hotels and The Hertzfeld attack.

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At the moment, information technology in portable devices and social media has taken center stage of all transactions across the globe. The healthcare industry is no exception in this case due to the fact that healthcare managers are required to enter information pertaining to their patients in decent records, which are not likely to be accessed by fraudsters and all the other persons with the salient intention to access and use information illegally. In the healthcare industry, the mandate of managers is to ensure that the information provided by their clients is protected. The same case applies to the assets of the customers. Practically, institutions in the healthcare industry make use of portable hardware and software elements, which define IT systems.

The security challenges of the portable device as storage and application platforms

To protect healthcare networks from attacks likely to be inculcated by the outsiders, Clinics, and the other institutions linked to the healthcare industry are needed to install firewalls. These mechanisms make it hard for intruders to gain access to the key aspects that characterize the proper functioning of portable devices like mobile phones and laptops in the healthcare industry. This is supported by the fact that the presence of a firewall disconnects the outside world with the primary concerns that define the respective institution that belongs to the healthcare faction. In the event that an intruder tries to gain access to the database or files belonging to a hospital, a firewall acts as a barrier that alerts the administrators of the entry attempt. At present, the computer systems in mobile phones, tablets, and social media in most healthcare have been installed with a tracking system where prompts are sent to the main routers and servers the moment an attempt to access the respective premises is made. This serves to ensure that data is not only confidential but also kept away from those that are likely to mess with it. The move towards promoting cybersecurity is traced back to the advancement of cybersecurity laws all over the world. A typical example that has called for the inculcation of cybersecurity laws is the recent attacks to the Hilton hotels (André, 2019).  As a consequence of the fraudulent acts, the company ended losing information and data that was a preserve of its customers and employees. This resulted in the loss of confidence in the administrative units from the potential customers who, to date, are afraid that the company may promote the loss of its essential and private information.

Security strategies to safeguard data on portable devices

In the interest of understanding the extent to which cybersecurity issues in social media and portable devices have impacted the healthcare industry, it is necessary to understand the genesis of such laws. Suffice it to say, and cyber security laws have been there since the introduction of computers and their respective systems. Given the fact that technology is always evolving, the nature of the attacks has been varying as well. Nevertheless, cyber laws endeavor to come up with a stance that will improve the level of security in the healthcare industry by regulating social media information and data from loss or several breaches. From the legal perspective, hacking is the most common cyber security crime that is likely to be witnessed in the healthcare industry (André, 2019). In this context, piracy is defined by the unlawful entry into the computer systems belonging to another person or company without their consent. There are several grounds that can call for one to hack the methods pertaining to healthcare. They include the intention to gain access to the private data and details of the customers, gaining entry to the company secrets, and the objective of finding information that would be used by third parties in the hope of soiling the firm’s reputation or the institution that offers the respective catering services explicitly. Cyber security laws endeavor to quell such situations such that it is possible to have an environment that allows the institutions within the healthcare industry to operate optimally without undue interruptions (Cameron, Elizabeth, and Marcum 19). In addition, there is the need for people and institutions to come up with information security tools to protect customers’ assets and data from damage or interference.

Approaches used to improve cyber security

In this context, the protection of information in portable devices and social media can either take the technological approach or the non-technological stances as long as the data at stake is finally safeguarded from the impending threats. For instance, the physical security of the assets can be maintained through employing guards whose mandate includes watching out for the company’s assets so that they are not accessed by thieves. Also, coming up with user identification as well as modern authentication approaches like biometrics serve to prevent the possible chance of having hardware and software elements that characterize hospitals accessed by fraudsters. In other cases, the legal framework outlining the functionality of the healthcare industry call for the issuance of digital identification cards (Chan et al., 2017). The provision of a username and password, which are peculiar to a waiter or manager, serves to make it possible for the information to be protected. In the event that random people gain entry to such information and they are apprehended, the matter is dealt with under the intrusion faction of the cyber security laws. This perspective makes it illegal for any person or organization to access information that belongs to the other party without authority (André, 2019). In this case, such attempts are covered under the intrusion detection system, which serves to analyze all the changes and happenings that occur to a computer system in the healthcare industry. For instance, if the prompts installed at the accounts department electronic devices are not typical, the intrusion detection system initiates a process that logs the user out of the given records or files. In the other notable cases, the system could also capture personal information of the person who made an attempt.

Case Studies Addressing Cyber Security in the Healthcare Industry

Several cases of cyber security have been witnessed in the healthcare industry in the attackers. In point of fact, the issue seems to be escalating quickly as more technological developments are seen across the globe. Cyber criminals tend to take advantage of the growth in the information and technology faction, with the interest of hurting the victims who fall prey to their actions and inactions, and their plight.

`The Hertzfeld attack that was witnessed on September 3rd, 2015 is once example of the cases where cyber insecurity on portable devices has been felt. In this respect, the attackers gained information of about 2600 guests that had visited the institution that day. The administration confirmed that the malware sought to affect the front desk laptops and working phones. It was at this point that the CFO (Dan Flaherty) noted that the email was intended to phish information belonging to the customers whose data had been recorded there. It was later reported that the purpose of the malware was to not only permit but also capture the remote access of the customer’s payment information so that the bank accounts of the customers would be hacked. In this regard, purpose of the malware comprised of capturing and capturing the remote access to card information. However, the issue was successfully contained once the security and investigation conducted timely searches to see the customer who were likely to be affected by the breach. In the long-run, this secured the information belonging to the customers.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotels fell prey to a data breach that was inculcated by cyber criminals in the year 2015. It was established that the violation sought to gain the credit card as well as debit card information belonging to the customers who had previously used the clinics, guest rooms, dining rooms, and the rooms that served beverages. Fortunately, the hackers were not able to get particular information about the customers as provided in the point for sale machines. The company was able to find help from the third-party experts, legal authorities as well as the payment card companies. The above case studies confirm the fact that, indeed, cyber security laws are desired to protect the healthcare industry from the looming data breaches by invalids who try to steal the management and customer information from time to time.

Social networks as a new and unregulated frontier in health information exchange

In the present dispensation, social media has emerged as a significant source of information exchange. This is supported by the stance that people can now use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp to communicate on whatever matters that they wish. Nevertheless, the one concern with these sources of information is that they are unregulated. It is not possible to control what a person tweets about or what extent the statements can be made. For instance, it is not possible to tell if a nurse who has information pertaining to a patient will share such private facts with the other third parties. Although social networks seek to improve the healthcare faction buy making it possible for people to access information as soon as they need it, the absence of a decent framework to control what is shared or communicated is one thing to address. The use of social networks in healthcare is invoked by the fact that it is the new mode of communication.

Obstacles to securing data on social network platforms

In this context, the software elements that are required in the healthcare industry include management systems, accounting systems as well as the point of sale. Healthcare officials need these elements for them to fulfill their mandates with effectiveness. However, these systems are subjected to threats from criminals who would wish to mine the data and information pertaining to the healthcare employees, customers, and the administrative unit. Therefore, a new legal paradigm has been inculcated to promote the efficient protection of data. At the present, cyber security laws have been created to pave for a decent way of protecting information belonging to the customers and stakeholders that characterize the healthcare industry.

The role of government and quasigovernment agencies have in implementing policy surrounding the use of mobile

Government and the quasigovernmental agencies have fronted the use of mobile apps and devices through the formulation of laws. Also, these institutions have been at the forefront of advising and encouraging people on the proper use of social media and portable devices to access the information that succinctly relates to them. Policies that are aimed at improving how well individuals make use of social media and software are fundamentally necessary for the wake of the digital age.

Conclusion

In reference to the observations made from the previous deliberation, the healthcare industry is fundamentally threatened by cyber-attacks. Nevertheless, all is not lost as the companies in this faction can still partner with the existing IT firms such that their systems are checked often. This cuts down the chances of having their policies accessed by thieves and data miners. Generally, not all the cyber insecurities that occur are as a consequence of the deliberate attempt by persons who are not privy to the company’s stances of operation. Therefore, companies need to come up with decent policies that run their internal affairs such that cyber security stands out as a critical issue to be considered and protected at all the time. Equally, there is a need for cyber security laws to be reinforced in the concerned countries. The absence of a robust cyber security legal system is the one reason the menace still affects the rate of operations in firms. Once the loopholes in the legal system are adjusted to meet the concerns in the healthcare industry, the future will be bright for the healthcare industries in the wake of the present technological world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

André, A. (2019). The information technology revolution in health care. In Digital Medicine (pp. 1-7). Springer, Cham.

Chan, S., Godwin, H., Gonzalez, A., Yellowlees, P. M., & Hilty, D. M. (2017). Review of use and integration of mobile apps into psychiatric treatments. Current psychiatry reports19(12), 96.

Daniel, F., Jabak, S., Sasso, R., Chamoun, Y., & Tamim, H. (2018). Patient-physician communication in the era of mobile phones and social media apps: cross-sectional observational study on Lebanese physicians’ perceptions and attitudes. JMIR medical informatics6(2), e18.

Lhotská, L., Stechová, K., & Pharow, P. (2017, May). Personal Portable Devices in the Light of the Internet of Things. In pHealth (pp. 34-46).

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