How ZTNA Solves Secure Access and Data Protection Complexities for the Healthcare Industry

The healthcare industry is a top threat actor target due to its vast repository of sensitive data, including personal and medical records, financial information and insurance data. This vulnerability is exacerbated by a historical lag in security measures, characterized by slow adoption of robust defenses, reliance on legacy systems and insufficient investment. The widespread use of interconnected systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and medical devices, amplifies security gaps that cybercriminals can exploit to compromise entire networks. Additionally, the sector’s critical infrastructure status attracts ransomware attacks that disrupt services, posing substantial risk to public health and safety.

Government regulations like HIPAA and compliance frameworks like HITRUST were established to address healthcare industry risk. And states are also weighing in, most recently with New York’s governor proposing new regulatory requirements for hospitals “to strengthen the protections on hospital networks and systems that are critical to providing patient care.” But regulations only go so far. Ultimately, it takes solutions like least-privilege Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to solve inherent secure access complexity, cloak networks and reduce vast attack surfaces of healthcare systems.

Why is healthcare cybersecurity so complicated?

Various types of users such as doctors, nurses, lab technicians, administrative staff, third-party vendors and more each require access to different consoles and applications. A typical environment also involves a “supply chain of data” housed within the healthcare system or, in most cases, with third-party providers from which stem, unsurprisingly, most data leaks.

Additionally, hospitals and healthcare entities must secure disparate infrastructure: in-house IT that provides basic services and provider access with loose access controls; leased or manufacturer-owned devices (which provide core diagnostics and delivery capabilities); and in-house managed elements that are disconnected from IT infrastructure. This intricacy makes the challenge of managing infrastructure, including patches and updates, and preventing cyberattacks almost insurmountable.

Additionally, there are an estimated 2 million different kinds of medical devices on the world market, categorized into more than 7,000 generic device groups. Each Internet of Medical Things (IoTM) device has its own IP address and can be vulnerable entry points for cybercriminals if the right security controls are not in place. In many cases, the device manufacturer requires device access for troubleshooting, updating, remote management, etc., increasing third-party vendor risk.

Protecting the wide range of identities, scattered resources and applications and IoTM devices, while at the same time avoiding non-compliance with healthcare regulations, requires a different approach to access security.

Zero Trust architecture prescribed for the new era of healthcare IT

Appgate SDP, the industry’s most comprehensive direct-routed ZTNA solution, provides full control over network traffic and features low latency and high availability with direct access to healthcare systems and applications. Alternative cloud-routed ZTNA solutions force traffic through a multi-tenant cloud, often have latency issues and hairpin on-premises users.

Appgate SDP provides the ability to tailor access permissions based on the individual user's role and enforce least privilege access to systems and applications necessary to perform each user’s job function. The trust verification process within Appgate SDP is continuous, which means least privilege entitlements are automatically modified in near real-time if context or risk changes.

In healthcare, the exchange of critical information (i.e., radiology images, x-rays, MRI and CT scans, DEXA scans and more) is a common practice. This involves file transfer that demands high-performance, especially in time-sensitive medical situations. Healthcare professionals also need to be able to access data and applications from different locations, ensuring continuity of care without compromising security. And it’s a difficult balancing act to make information physically available on demand via console, phone or tablet, while ensuring secure access protocols. With ZTNA, network security teams can monitor data access and ascertain whether data is being “written to” or “read-only” so they can streamline access to critical information such as lab results, facilitating faster data transfer among labs, doctors, and specialists. As depicted in this image, Appgate SDP provides fast, simple secure user access to all entitled healthcare-related resources, regardless of location.

DeviceRx: IoT security for medical devices

Complicated device security needs within healthcare IT also require restricted, but manageable accessibility. Appgate SDP extends its secure access solution to IoMT devices through Connectors by providing a centralized view to include all users, servers, and device access – all efficiently governed by policies and controls that restrict the attack surface per individual device. The solution minimizes the risk of lateral movement by cloaking infrastructure and incorporating solation and access restrictions – all without negatively impacting each device's performance.

Each instance of the Connector is designed with scalability in mind, for volume and throughput; capable of accommodating the diverse range of today’s different IoMT devices. The solution operates in-line and can be easily deployed without replacing existing hardware or software. Appgate SDP also integrates with existing threat intelligence, reporting and visualization tools, adding value to those technology investments. Moreover, security teams are in a better position to respond faster to indicators of compromise. As shown in this image, Appgate facilitates secure access for IoMT devices, creating dynamic “segment of one” networks through authentication, credential evaluation and access policy enforcement.

Diagnosing and Triaging Healthcare IT Security Vulnerabilities

Some of the regulations mentioned earlier require healthcare entities to establish policies and procedures for evaluating, assessing and testing the security effectiveness of the tools and applications in place. Appgate’s Threat Advisory Services team provides a strategic advantage by identifying potential attack vectors, building theories about approaches and defining achievable remediations. The team helps healthcare entities discover access control bypasses, information disclosures (i.e. PHI, medical records, research data, etc.) remote code executions, misconfigurations, overflows in medical devices and other industry-specific attack scenarios, and then provides remediation guidance to reduce or eliminate the attack surface. This service helps healthcare entities understand their overall risk, target the most vulnerable areas and drive systematic improvements.

Appgate is a proven, trusted healthcare industry partner, with a team of security experts, solutions and services tuned to strengthen your overall security posture and ensure a resilient and compliant future for your healthcare business. Visit our Zero Trust Access demo hub to learn about Appgate SDP fundamentals, advanced concepts, platform services, integrations and more.

Additional resources

Case study: Biotech Firm Replaces VPN with ZTNA to Secure Business-Critical Apps and Data
Guide: The Difference Between Cloud-routed vs. Direct-routed ZTNA
Solution Brief: Appgate SDP Connector for IoT
Video: Securing Healthcare Organizations and BYOD With Appgate SDP