A few months ago, we shared news that millions of medical images and data were accessible to almost anyone with an internet connection. TechCrunch is now reporting that the number of exposed servers had increased by more than half, to 35 million patient exams, exposing 1.19 billion scans and representing a considerable violation of patient privacy.
Hundreds of hospitals, medical offices and imaging centers are running insecure storage systems, allowing anyone with an internet connection and free-to-download software to access over 1 billion medical images of patients across the world.
About half of all the exposed images, which include X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans, belong to patients in the United States.
Yet despite warnings from security researchers who have spent weeks alerting hospitals and doctors’ offices to the problem, many have ignored their warnings and continue to expose their patients’ private health information.
Keeping patient information secure remains a top challenge for hospitals and healthcare facilities. Although some in healthcare technology management may not be directly responsible for the safekeeping of customer and hospital data, it’s likely that you’ll be working alongside those who are. Understanding these issues contributes to a more productive and cyber-safe environment. Check out our aticle about steps you can take to prevent these threats.