Global information company Experian has put out its second annual data breach industry forecast, and the outlook isn't good for healthcare.
Here are the six predictions Experian has made for the 2015 data breach landscape.
1. Credit cards and "chip and PIN." The window is closing for criminals to profit from credit card payments by exploiting weaknesses in information storage systems. The upcoming October 2015 adoption of "chip and PIN" technology will likely lead to more hacks in the coming year, but far fewer afterward, at least in the short term.
2. Cloud data is a hot commodity. In 2015, expect more attempts on cloud data. Hackers will target more credentialing data to gain access to cloud accounts, which can be valuable whether they belong to individuals or organizations.
3. Healthcare breaches will increase. Because of mass digitization and the value of the data, healthcare is expected to be a continuing target for hackers, with more attacks likely in 2015. The adoption of wearables and apps that store consumer data will make data security much harder to ensure.
4. Leaders will be accountable for data security. No longer will the topic be relegated to the IT department. Top executives must understand the importance of data security and create defined plans for dealing with potential risks. If they choose not to directly engage in data security efforts, they could see the consequences manifest in consumer behavior or even job loss.
5. Human error will be the biggest pain point for breach security. Employees and negligence will be the biggest threats to organizations' data security. However, it is likely business leaders will continue to address security threats via technological solutions rather than engaging directly with their staff through data security training.
6. Third party breaches will be more frequent. Third party data collection has become increasingly common. As such, there are more points of access for cybercriminals to get to organizational data. This could be the next big way for data security to fail.
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