Healthcare organizations are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Nation-state actors and cyber thieves target them because they possess information of immense value. Aside from high monetary value, clinical research has immense intelligence significance.
Clinical research involves the use of protected health information (PHI), personally identifying information, intellectual property, and financial information. Aside from the bank account details, hackers steal credit card information, social security numbers, and medical research.
The demand for stolen health records is higher as compared to stolen financial details, such as credit card numbers. In clinical research and healthcare organizations, cybersecurity risks pose a severe cost, which is far higher than in other industries.
In recent years, cybersecurity attacks and cyber ransom attacks have increased alarmingly. It has driven the demand for trained and experienced professionals to mitigate and prevent such attacks.
In the context of this article, we will discuss the importance of cybersecurity in preserving and safeguarding clinical research.
Here, take a look:
Risks to Digital Health
Digital health programs and functions are transforming how patients receive healthcare. Digitized health records and patient information, wearable digital health devices, and digitized clinical trials face the risk of data breaches.
Across every sphere of the healthcare industry, digital health capabilities are applicable. In a network-connected industry, cybersecurity events and data breaches are alarmingly high. And given the heightened pace of digital innovations in clinical trial and research, there is a need for cutting-edge cybersecurity protocols and protections.
It is crucial to understand that data breaches are not the only cybersecurity risk faced by clinical research. Ransomware attacks are increasing at an alarming pace. In such attacks, cybercriminals can hold an entire database or network hostage in exchange for money. Clinical research involves groundbreaking innovation, novel vaccines, and formulas that have a significantly high monetary value.
Healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical companies seek to hire research management experts who can devise robust data management and safety procedures. Market trends reveal that there is a higher demand for professionals with a masters in clinical research management. Research management professionals work with technicians and cybersecurity experts to mitigate such risks and regulate cyber protection.
Medical Wearable Devices
In recent years, wearable medical devices have emerged as a prominent subject of clinical trials and research. As healthcare solutions are evolving and innovating, wearable devices have become a mainstream development to enhance patient care. However, these devices are at risk of being hacked, putting the patient at risk.
If cybercriminals hacked medical devices while an individual is wearing it, the hacker could manipulate it to exploit or alter treatment. It is crucial to note that the development of a wearable device involves several stakeholders. These include clinical researchers, developers, manufacturers, technicians, and maintenance staff.
Any flaws that overlook during design, manufacturing, installation, or maintenance can make a device vulnerable. Cybercriminals exploit it If the device has specific programming issues or software bugs. That is why there is a heightened demand for cybersecurity professionals in the healthcare industry.
If you have a cybersecurity background, consider pursuing higher education and advanced training in this field. For instance, masters in information security salary benefits are immensely high and lucrative, alongside higher marketability across multiple industries.
Protecting Intellectual Property
Clinical research involves intellectual property that belongs to a group or organization of researchers. However, from a business perspective, this intellectual property has been funded by multiple stakeholders. Therefore, cybersecurity measures protect not only intellectual property but also the funding secured for clinical research and trials.
Clinical trials gather substantial data to understand the significance of medications, diagnostic tools, medical devices, vaccines, or treatments. In either case, clinical trials deal with highly sensitive and confidential intellectual property.
If cybercriminals steal this data before the effectiveness of a treatment or drug is substantiated, it can cause unprecedented harm. It will also lead to significant losses for the sponsors, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in clinical research. More importantly, it will damage the reputation of the organization and raise various ethical concerns. The participants engaged in the study or trials can sue the organization for infringement of their private healthcare and financial information.
Protecting intellectual property and data obtained through clinical research is of paramount significance for all organizations. Clinical research is at risk of cybersecurity attacks from various stakeholders. These include security and intelligence agencies, nation-state actors, rivals and competitors, and cybercriminals.
Clinical research organizations require robust measures and protocols to safeguard their data and eliminate all cybersecurity threats. Organizations and pharmaceuticals adopt innovative and advanced cybersecurity solutions to preserve their reputation and protect their data.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity has immense significance in clinical research, trials, and other healthcare settings. Billions of dollars are spent in clinical research to create new drugs, medications, treatments, and vaccines. Cybercriminals target such organizations to make significant gains and sell high-value information on the dark web.
Cybercriminals can also hack devices and medical wearables to exploit the outcomes of a clinical trial or manipulate information. There is higher demand for trained and skilled cybersecurity experts and research management professionals for planning and executing cybersecurity protocols. Cybersecurity measures are vital to preserve the reputation and protect the funding of pharmaceutical and clinical research organizations.
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