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Cyberattacks are an unrelenting threat to the healthcare industry, with 410 incidents occurring in the first half of 2026 alone. From phishing to ransomware to man-in-the-middle attacks, healthcare groups and businesses in the sector must remain aware of these threats and up-to-date on how to counter them.
While better awareness and training is a key part of protecting against attacks and data breaches, better technology also has a role to play. Using the right tools and processes in your daily workflows can help prevent unauthorized access and keep both providers and patients safe.
RFID and Smart Card-Based Access Control
A key part of cybersecurity is access control: managing who is allowed to see what information. Access control is critical in any business that handles sensitive information, but doubly so for healthcare, which regularly deals in private health details, financial records, and contact info. If this information is compromised, it can have serious consequences for the patient and provider alike, including fines and even prison time for particularly negligent cases.
One way that healthcare groups can manage access control is with physical devices like RFID tags and smart cards. These tags and cards can be issued to providers and scanned by a reader attached to their medical computer, verifying the bearer’s identity and unlocking the computer for their use.
When combined with other forms of access control, such as biometrics and passwords, RFID tags and smart cards prevent unauthorized parties from prying into sensitive information.
TPM Chip-Based Encryption
Under HIPAA, protected health information (PHI) must be kept encrypted and impossible to read whenever it is in transit from one device to another or not being actively used. This means any device that stores, transmits, and accesses PHI must be capable of encrypting and decrypting this information.
Medical computers and devices can address this need by including trusted platform module(TPM) chips built directly onto the motherboard. TPM chips generate and store cryptographic keys, which are used to encrypt and decrypt PHI as needed. This means that even if a hacker gets access to the computer, without the proper cryptographic key, anything they access will
just appear as a meaningless jumble of letters and numbers.
TPM chips are also used to monitor incoming and outgoing messages for these same cryptographic keys, allowing them to detect unauthorized emails or files. This helps in preventing some of the most common forms of cyberattack, such as phishing and Trojan horses.
Privacy Filters on Computer Screens
One of the most common but unaddressed issues for protecting PHI is preventing snooping eyes from peeking over a provider’s shoulders while they review a patient’s files. Even a glance can compromise communications between the provider and patient, financial details, or login credentials. This process is known as “visual hacking,” and while it may not seem as high-tech as a ransomware attack or data breach, it is still a serious concern for healthcare groups.
To prevent this, any electronic device that displays PHI, such as a medical tablet, panel PC, or monitor, should use a privacy screen. These screens are specialized layers of polarized plastic that reduce the angle at which light can hit the display itself. This means the intended user looking directly at the screen can see it just fine, but anyone standing to the side or at an angle will only see a black screen.
The one major issue for privacy screens in healthcare is that their plastic film can be damaged or destroyed by harsh cleaning products. These same cleaning products are frequently used to sanitize surfaces in healthcare environments to prevent the spread of pathogens. The best solution for this issue is to either use a detachable screen or have the computer manufacturer install the privacy screen behind the display’s glass, thus protecting it from exposure.
Develop and Practice Your Response Plan
The final recommendation for better cybersecurity is not based on hardware choices, but on workflows and practices. The sad but unavoidable truth is that if you are a group or business in the healthcare sector, you will inevitably be targeted by cybercriminals. Just as important as any hardware feature is to have a response plan in place for when (not if) you are attacked.
This response plan should be practiced in the same way you practice fire drills and quarantine protocols, with pre-planned actions, subject matter experts assigned to the appropriate roles, and the right tools in the right place before an attack ever occurs. For example, if an attack causes your EMR system to shut down, your staff should know how to switch over to physical
records until you can restore access. The faster you can react, the less damage will be done to your devices and systems, and the less harm will come to your patients.
What the Future Holds for Healthcare Cybersecurity
Investing in cybersecurity and other measures to protect the safety and privacy of patients is no longer an option; it is now a necessity. As threats become increasingly elaborate and devastating, healthcare groups and businesses must escalate their cybersecurity efforts in equal measure.
When purchasing new electronic and data-driven medical equipment, features like encryption, access control, and privacy should be just as critical as sanitation and safety.
