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Secure computer networks are intrinsic part of the HIPAA strategy to completely convert the national patent health records into an electronic format, which can be easily exchanged between different agencies like health care providers, insurance providers and administrators. As a result the health care organizations can manage documentation process efficiently in minimal time and provide better service to the patients. But the present day computer system is prone to hacking and virus attacks, which steal or destroy the crucial data. To protect the patient health information there are network security rules, which need to be followed, so that the organization is able to achieve HIPAA compliance.
There are two main sections of HIPAA that relate to computer network security and they are:
Administrative Safeguards:
To achieve HIPAA compliance, it necessary for the provider to identify, guard and report against malicious software program in the system. The infected emails carry with them worms, virus and Trojans, and there should be a security system in place that stops this intrusion. To manage the computer networks smoothly, it is necessary to maintain a vigil by installing special safeguards mentioned below:
Gateway and desktop anti-virus products should be used.
The security gateway should be able carry out, deep-packet-penetration, inspection and provide appropriate web filtering capabilities to the network.
Signature files that update at every 30 minutes should be used, as they are best form of defense against the fast moving worms.
All the security services and subsystem should be proactive with IPS (Intrusion Protection System) instead of IDS (Intrusion Detection System). This is necessary to protect the network from being infected with virus.
The installed firewall should provide protection from the top 50 Dos and DDos well known attacks. The installed security system should register the number time the attacks have been made and counter them effectively.
Security Safeguards:
For a computer network to attain HIPAA compliance it is necessary for the organization to frame security policy, which authorizes the selected personnel or software programs to access the protected health information.
The security device should support native form of authentication. For web related applications, Transparent Authentication(TA) should be used so that a same user who moves to different secure applications does not have to sign-in, his or her, username and password, every time he or she makes a jump.
The security system should support email content filtration process with keywords and regular expression string features.
To prevent, unauthorized access or intercept, of the patient health information when it on journey between sender and receiver, proper encryption techniques should be used. The transport of the PHI to public network should be done in strong encryption mode and received by authenticated users, who should have the requisite deciphering codes.
The security system should continuously monitor for any unwanted or suspicious deviation from the standard procedure and report anomalous activity immediately to IT manager.
Special security features like email content filtering application and digital signatures should be added in the system to prohibit dispatch of confidential data to unverified receivers.
In the end it is necessary for all the entities that are involved in health care system like, health service providers, insurance companies, transcription service providers, payers, labs, internet service providers, hospitals and billing services to build a chain of trust so that any patient health information routed between them is kept highly confidential. This can be done through a network of computer systems that strictly adhere to HIPAA compliance norms to facilitate, a safe and secure transmission, of confidential health information on public network.
To prevent online theft of patient health information it necessary to install secure computer network.
Jason Gaya,
Read more about HIPAA compliance at, http://www.empowerbpo.com
Personal information is a very valuable commodity in our ever-changing, fast paced business environment. Consumers are becoming more savvy when it comes to protecting themselves, whether online or simply doing face-to-face business with credit cards.
PCI compliance is meant to help merchants achieve a level of security in which consumers can feel confident about doing business. By adhering to the PCI DSS a merchant can focus on creating an environment that is hostile to hackers and friendly to users.
There are 12 requirements which can be broken down into more than 200 individual security controls that a merchant must adhere to for PCI compliance. They are as follows.
The first group of PCI DSS requirements is about building and maintaining a secure network. The first requirement mandates that you install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data. Firewalls allow you to control the traffic into or out of your system. It should always be set to deny everyone who is unauthorized to be there.
Requirement two says: do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters. Basically, these passwords are fairly well known in the hacker community and the first things they will try when they attack your system.
The next two PCI compliance requirements are about protecting cardholder data. Number three, in fact, states: protect stored cardholder data. This involves strong encryption techniques and making sure that you always remove old information and not storing any information that isn't absolutely necessary.
The fourth requirement says you must also encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks. Criminals can try to intercept data in transit and can change or modify it. If it's encrypted, though, then all they'll find is a lot of unreadable data.
Maintaining a vulnerability management program is the next step. This involves requirements five, using and regularly updating anti-virus software, and six, developing and maintaining secure systems and applications.
Not all threats are from criminals. Viruses can cause significant damage, and vulnerabilities in software can lead to an open door for unscrupulous employees or hackers to gain access.
Next you must implement strong access control measures. This means (7) restricting access to cardholder data to business need-to-know, (8) assigning a unique ID to each person with computer access, and (9) restricting physical access to cardholder data.
In other words, even though your first order is to not store anything you don't absolutely need, you should follow it up by restricting access to the data that is there to the people who absolutely have to have it. These people should have their own unique authenticators in order to reach critical components of the system. And these measures apply to physical access as well.
Of course, because hackers continue to try new tactics, you must keep up. That's why PCI compliance requires you to monitor and test networks. Requirement ten says you must track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data. When you know exactly what has happened on your network you can more easily discover what went wrong. And requirement eleven mandates regular testing of security systems and processes. This way you can discover any vulnerabilities before the criminals do.
Finally, requirement twelve says you must maintain a policy that addresses information security. In simpler terms, it doesn't matter what policies you have unless everyone in the company knows about them.
PCI compliance is a requirement, but it is also good business sense. By following the steps in the PCI DSS you will be able to offer the kind of business environment your customers are looking for.
Andy Eliason is a writer at Main10, Inc. If you'd like to learn more about PCI compliance or the PCI DSS, visit Braintree Payment Solutions today.
"The world is changing around us at an incredible pace due to remarkable technological change. This process can either overwhelm us, or make our lives better and our country stronger. What we can't do is pretend it is not happening." Prime Minister Tony Blair on commissioning the Transformational Government strategy.
To survive in this era of accelerating technological change, and to implement the edicts of the Transformational Government strategy, every public sector organisation will have to undergo fundamental technology-enabled change. This article provides a five-point check list for senior managers responsible for developing and delivering a successful Transformational Government change programme.
Ensuring that an organisation can satisfy the necessary information security requirements to enable it to be a component part of joined-up government, requires consideration that will inform budget and strategy, reshape organisational process and procedures, and redefine culture and working practices.
As a guide to those responsible for their organisation's information assurance and implementation of the Transformation Government agenda, this article provides a five-point check list to provide a basis for ICT-enabled organisational change.
Point 1 - Be fully appraised of current Government policy and strategy
Current UK Government policy and strategy is leading public service organisations through a significant period of change to achieve efficiency gains through streamlined citizen-centric, ICT-enabled, secure shared services.
Understanding current UK Government policy and strategy will assist you in:
Understanding measures you should take to deliver ICT enabled business changeIdentifying expected business benefits
Identifying costs
Identifying scope of change
Identifying risks.
A list of the key sources of UK Government policy and strategy can be found in the thought leadership section of the VEGA website.
Point 2 - Ensure board level buy-in and understanding
A board level information assurance champion should be appointed to act as Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) for your organisation. This recommendation meets mandatory requirement 3 from the HMG Security Policy Framework (SPF) V1.0.
Your SIRO should agree to terms of reference which clearly define their role and responsibilities with regard to the information assurance of your organisation. Additionally, your SIRO should meet regularly with your organisation's security staff to discuss security policy and discuss a risk managed approach to information assurance. This ensures that information assurance and governance is a recognised board level responsibility which includes the protection and utilisation of all of your organisation's assets (information, personnel and physical).
Point 3 - Manage your stakeholders
Obtaining stakeholder buy-in to your organisation's information assurance strategy is critical to its success. Good stakeholder management creates awareness, provides the framework for supporting delivery and assists you secure budget where resource is scarce and competition is fierce.
A communications plan should therefore be developed to identify:
Desired buy-in outcomesAudience of stakeholders (internal and external)
How to best engage stakeholders
How messages are to be communicated
Ownership of responsibility for maintaining communications
Frequency of communications.
Stakeholders should subsequently be plotted on a stakeholder map prioritised by power and interest. This will assist you in grouping them. Your communications strategy can then focus on key stakeholders whilst ensuring other stakeholders are engaged to the level required.
Failure to gain buy-in from key stakeholders has sealed the fate of many information assurance projects.
Point 4 - Involve the experts
When pursuing an information assurance strategy, you should seek advice from recognised Government and industry experts. These organisations have faced the same challenges as you and have valuable information and knowledge to share. This will save you time and money, whilst ensuring that the information assurance solutions you plan to implement are fit for purpose and proven across Government.
The organisations you may wish to contact include:
Office Government and Commerce Buying Solutions (OGCBS)Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG)
Government Computer Emergency Response Team (GOVCERT)
Central Sponsor for Information Assurance (CSIA)
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI)
Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (WARP)
Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
Public sector organisations similar to your own
Consultancies with expertise in enabling Transformational Government change programmes
Point 5 - Achieving and evidencing compliance
Recent data losses across Government have placed an increased focus on information assurance. Public sector organisations must comply with centrally released security policy (e.g. HMG SPF) which defines mandatory minimum security measures.
To connect to a secure network, your organisation must comply with mandatory security controls. Depending on the security impact level of the secure network, your organisation will either have to complete a Code of Connection (CoCo) or produce a Risk Management and Accreditation Document Set (RMADS).
To answer the requirements of a CoCo you should treat each control like an exam question (answer the question with relevant evidence), and sell your strengths, if you comply with standards such as ISO/IEC27001:2005 or PCI DSS.
The completion of a RMADS is much more involved. Unless your organisation has significant experience, you should involve a CESG Listed Advisor from the CESG Listed Advisor Scheme (CLAS).
Connection to a secure network will only be permitted once the relevant governing security authority is content that your organisation meets the information assurance requirements of the network you wish to connect to. This ensures that the risk your organisation poses to other organisations on the network is managed.
Once your organisation's connection is authorised, you should expect regular audits which ensure the level of information assurance your organisation has achieved is maintained and improved.
These five points will hopefully act as an aide memoiré when your organisation starts to consider its connection to a secure government network. The most important thing to understand is that information security is not just about technology; it is the catalyst for organisational change that encompasses people, training, policy and procedures.
VEGA is a member of the CESG Listed Advisor Scheme (CLAS), as well as a registered CHECK service provider. VEGA has an established track record of working across Government providing strategic advice and technological expertise to help secure public sector information through the implementation and use of secure Government networks.
By Damian Schogger, Communications Manager, VEGA
About VEGA VEGA is a professional services company that delivers technology-enabled change in complex environments, often where security and resilience are key. We have an in-depth knowledge and experience to support organisaitions planning to gain connnection to secure government networks, gained from working on several major UK government projects in this area.
Please contact us for further information. Connecting to Secure Government Networks
Small Business Under Attack
Every day criminals attack businesses. Whether you own or manage a small or mid-sized businesses, or a non-profit organization you are a prime target for crime especially identity theft. Smaller businesses don't have the resources to properly protect proprietary information so the shift to smaller businesses is occurring at a faster rate.
Here are the facts from a survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance:
· Only 28% of small businesses have formal Internet security policies
· Just 35% of small businesses provide any training to employees about Internet safety and security
· 86% of businesses have no single individual focused on IT issues.
As a result:
· 85% of payment card breaches occur at smaller businesses
· 81% of organizations subject to PCI standards have not been found compliant prior to the breach
· 83% of attacks were not highly difficult to perform
The shape of Internet crime is moving from more tradition forms of crime including Phishing or randomly collected passwords and login information to targeted attacks where cybercriminals are stealing and reselling data to other criminals.
Experts are predicting attacks on small and mid-sized businesses will grow in 2010. These attacks will grow in sophistication and complexity. Unfortunately, most small and mid-sized businesses aren't prepared for this kind of attack.
It is important for businesses of all sizes properly protect their customers and employees private information. It is important for two reasons:
1. To guard against customer and employee identity theft and other crimes
2. Avoid fines for not achieving minimum federal, state and PCI standards
Customer Protection Isn't An Option Any More
Our government and private industry have noticed this trend of increasing attacks on small and mid-sized businesses. They realized the only way to stop or at least slow this trend is to put the responsibility on the businesses. Over the last 10 years federal, state and industry have set up new rules and regulations to force businesses to secure customer and employee proprietary information or face huge fines or possibly jail time.
Businesses must take the steps to get compliant with the law and PCI standards. They must get serious about protecting their customer and employee proprietary information. Protecting this important information isn't an option for any size business any more.
Who must comply?
Here's a general rule: If your business collects, uses, transmits, or stores personal financial information about your customers, members or employees, you must comply with laws and regulations including PCI standards and the upcoming Red Flag compliance. Full compliance with the federal, state and PCI standards will prevent penalties, fines and security breaches. It will increase customer confidence and sells.
Meeting these tough regulations and standards is not easy to achieve, but it is rewarding. Many compliant businesses report full compliance has actually saved them time and money.
Smaller businesses don't know how they are going to meet these tough federal, state regulations and PCI standards. So, they are looking for assistance. There are many companies who offer assistance. Make sure you work with a company that has the experience and expertise while at the same time makes it quick and easy to meet the minimum recommended technical and administrative safeguards required for compliance with information security and privacy standards. The company should offer:
· Technical Safeguards
· Administrative Safeguards
· Security Breach Response
The right company should assist your business to meet all compliance standards and requirements. The company should work side by side to develop comprehensive technical and administrative safeguards required for your business to keep hackers and identity thieves out.
Your compliance to PCI standards and all other regulations will mean increased sales by increasing trust and loyalty with your customers. It will eliminate down time without you or your staff being sidelined by computer problems.
Most important, a good quality compliance company should walk you through all compliance requirements and assist in making sure you understand what need to be done to ensure they are met with a single, affordable program. This is a simple way for your business to meet or exceed federal, state and PCI standards and requirements for protecting your customer's and employees personal information against identity theft and fraud. It also shows your commitment to doing business the right way, with a genuine commitment to privacy, safety and trust.
In 2010, Smart business owners will work toward becoming compliant certified to save time, money and avoid those huge penalty and fines.
Warren Franklin has worked in the Internet security and identity theft protection arena for five years. He is regarded as on of the top security specialists in his company. You can contact him about business compliance and other computer security issues by e-mailing divpro123@comcast.net. More information on federal, state and PCI standards is available at http://www.completeinternetprotection.com/pcistandards.html
Small Business Under Attack
Every day criminals attack businesses. Whether you own or manage a small or mid-sized businesses, or a non-profit organization you are a prime target for crime especially identity theft. Smaller businesses don't have the resources to properly protect proprietary information so the shift to smaller businesses is occurring at a faster rate.
Here are the facts from a survey by the National Cyber Security Alliance:
· Only 28% of small businesses have formal Internet security policies
· Just 35% of small businesses provide any training to employees about Internet safety and security
· 86% of businesses have no single individual focused on IT issues.
As a result:
· 85% of payment card breaches occur at smaller businesses
· 81% of organizations subject to PCI standards have not been found compliant prior to the breach
· 83% of attacks were not highly difficult to perform
The shape of Internet crime is moving from more tradition forms of crime including Phishing or randomly collected passwords and login information to targeted attacks where cybercriminals are stealing and reselling data to other criminals.
Experts are predicting attacks on small and mid-sized businesses will grow in 2010. These attacks will grow in sophistication and complexity. Unfortunately, most small and mid-sized businesses aren't prepared for this kind of attack.
It is important for businesses of all sizes properly protect their customers and employees private information. It is important for two reasons:
1. To guard against customer and employee identity theft and other crimes
2. Avoid fines for not achieving minimum federal, state and PCI standards
Customer Protection Isn't An Option Any More
Our government and private industry have noticed this trend of increasing attacks on small and mid-sized businesses. They realized the only way to stop or at least slow this trend is to put the responsibility on the businesses. Over the last 10 years federal, state and industry have set up new rules and regulations to force businesses to secure customer and employee proprietary information or face huge fines or possibly jail time.
Businesses must take the steps to get compliant with the law and PCI standards. They must get serious about protecting their customer and employee proprietary information. Protecting this important information isn't an option for any size business any more.
Who must comply?
Here's a general rule: If your business collects, uses, transmits, or stores personal financial information about your customers, members or employees, you must comply with laws and regulations including PCI standards and the upcoming Red Flag compliance. Full compliance with the federal, state and PCI standards will prevent penalties, fines and security breaches. It will increase customer confidence and sells.
Meeting these tough regulations and standards is not easy to achieve, but it is rewarding. Many compliant businesses report full compliance has actually saved them time and money.
Smaller businesses don't know how they are going to meet these tough federal, state regulations and PCI standards. So, they are looking for assistance. There are many companies who offer assistance. Make sure you work with a company that has the experience and expertise while at the same time makes it quick and easy to meet the minimum recommended technical and administrative safeguards required for compliance with information security and privacy standards. The company should offer:
· Technical Safeguards
· Administrative Safeguards
· Security Breach Response
The right company should assist your business to meet all compliance standards and requirements. The company should work side by side to develop comprehensive technical and administrative safeguards required for your business to keep hackers and identity thieves out.
Your compliance to PCI standards and all other regulations will mean increased sales by increasing trust and loyalty with your customers. It will eliminate down time without you or your staff being sidelined by computer problems.
Most important, a good quality compliance company should walk you through all compliance requirements and assist in making sure you understand what need to be done to ensure they are met with a single, affordable program. This is a simple way for your business to meet or exceed federal, state and PCI standards and requirements for protecting your customer's and employees personal information against identity theft and fraud. It also shows your commitment to doing business the right way, with a genuine commitment to privacy, safety and trust.
In 2010, Smart business owners will work toward becoming compliant certified to save time, money and avoid those huge penalty and fines.
Warren Franklin has worked in the Internet security and identity theft protection arena for five years. He is regarded as on of the top security specialists in his company. You can contact him about business compliance and other computer security issues by e-mailing divpro123@comcast.net. More information on federal, state and PCI standards is available at http://www.completeinternetprotection.com/pcistandards.html
Internet Law Compliance is the One-Stop-Shop Handbook website operators need to understand and comply with the regulations and requirements for lawfully doing business on the internet. Complete with forms and disclaimers ready to cut and paste.
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