From spam to medical identity theft: Exploring the vulnerabilities of Electronic Medical Records

As more healthcare institutions utilize electronic medical record software (EMR) to store patient records, the number of healthcare data breaches is also on the rise. In addition to the obvious threat to privacy, there are malicious ramifications to medical information cyber attacks, with medical records valued higher on the black market than credit card or Social Security Numbers (SSN). The stolen records can be used for spamming, identify fraud, prescription and service theft, billing fraud, and in its worst case, lead to death. While electronic medical record software companies need to improve their system security, the users of the software are also at fault as this vulnerability is exacerbated by the lack of training and awareness from both the hospital employees and patients. This paper will explore the causes and ramifications of healthcare information breaches as well as suggest some possible defense tactics to prevent medical information cyber attacks.