Critical Infrastructure in Healthcare and Public Health Sector
Healthcare and Public Health field is one of the most crucial sectors within the framework of 16 critical infrastructures as defined by the Department of Homeland Security (2016). The issue of public health is hard to overestimate, as the scope of the medical services, as well as their quality, ensures the sound development of the society, contributing to the well-being of people. Good health is one of the major pre-requisites of successful performance of each person, especially when it comes to the professional field. The potential faults and deficiencies in this sector can result in the aggravating consequences as “the size, diversity, openness, and economic value” of the sector can make it a “target for terrorists” and other malicious agents (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016, p.7), and therefore, the sector of Healthcare and Public Health is in the focus of this report.
The modern world undergoes the process of incessant development and changes, and the ubiquitous presence of the information technologies is one of the most vital aspects of today’s existence. It enables information sharing and dissemination of data, as well as its storage and protection. Therefore, the technological advancement is closely interrelated with the currently existing trends in cyber security. With the permanent elaboration of new types of spyware and malicious websites, the issue of data safety and information security comes to the foreground within the framework of Healthcare and Public Health sector.
Many healthcare professionals, as well as the scholars, are deeply concerned with the current risks Healthcare and Public Health sector is facing today. The electronic protected health information (ePHI) represented by such data as private medical records can be illegally disclosed to the third parties by the malicious agents. Therefore, cyber security is a poignant issue in Healthcare and Public Health sector (Mohammed, Mariani, & Mohammed, 2015, p.60). The numerous breaches of security are triggered by the gaps in the approaches to the information storage and data encryption, as well as the lack of security in the wireless networks (Bajwa, 2014, p.294). Thus, a vast number of investigations is dedicated to the evaluation of diverse cases of violations of security and breaches of confidentiality (Mohammed, Mariani, & Mohammed, 2015). The issue of cyber security is one of the most vital aspects that are taken into consideration in the governmental provisions and strategic planning. The Sector-Specific Plan elaborated by the Department of Homeland Security (2016) in terms of Healthcare and Public Health sector reveals the ongoing challenges perpetrating the sound development of the sector.
The Sector-Specific Plan is predominantly concerned with the methods of identification of risks and reduction of the vulnerabilities. The private subsectors of Healthcare and Public Health include Direct Patient Care, Health Information Technology, Health Plans and Payers, Mass Fatality Management Services, Medical Materials, as well as Laboratories, Blood, and Pharmaceuticals (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016, p.5). The government subsectors are Public Health and Federal Response and Program Offices (The Department of Homeland Security, 2016, p.6). …
