Security concerns
3 December 2019
It’s hard to believe that this will be the last newsletter for 2019. The year has been a busy one for the HealthyPractice team, we have enjoyed all the contact we have had with you and we hope that you are enjoying the new website as much as we are.
We will be taking some time off and will have limited availability over the Christmas New Year period. Normal hours will resume from 6th January but you can still email us at business@mas.co.nz over the holiday period or call 0800 800 627 during usual business hours.
Our best wishes to you all for a safe, happy holiday season and a fantastic 2020 year.
Fiona, Chris and Shaun
This month we thought we would follow up our cybersecurity newsletter with some statistics and a few tips on practice security in general.
CertNZ provides a quarterly report on cybersecurity incident. The latest quarterly report available is for Q2 (1st April to 30th June 2019) and showed a 21% increase in incidents from Q1.
Of the 1,197 reports in Q2 from businesses and individuals:
- 23% of all incidents reported some type of loss
- Scams and frauds were responsible for 38% of reports, this was a 41% increase for Q1
- Ransomware incidents increased by 38% in Q2, most reports from businesses and organisations
- Direct financial loss reported in Q2 equalled $6.5 million
- Suspicious network traffic increased by 150% from Q1
It appears that most security incidents happen due to human error, e.g. staff clicking on a link in a phishing email. Providing communication and training on how to identify phishing emails, checking spelling, email addresses and anything else that might trigger alerts, e.g. attached invoices from suppliers that you are unaware of, requests to update a password by clicking on a link.
Practices hold valuable information and need to be vigilant about keeping this information safe. Read our content with tips https://www.healthypractice.co.nz/members/management/management-systems/information-technology/cybercrime-and-security/ and you might like to find out more about cyber insurance or arrange a quote.
Cybercrime is not the only security issue for practices. Over the holidays there may be times when staff are at the practice alone, have you put measures in place to make sure they are safe?
This can be as simple as a reminder:
- to lock doors if they are alone in the premises, especially if they are working in the back areas of your building
- Be aware of their surroundings when they are entering and exiting the premises
- Providing good sensor security lighting if staff are coming and going afterhours
- Panic buttons as part of your alarm security
- CCTV both internally and externally
There is content in HealthyPractice that give tips if your practice experiences an armed robbery or other security risks
Other recent articles
19 November 2024
Resilience in challenging times
Working in a health practice is a challenging environment. It’s always busy and the people you are dealing with are often stressed and facing difficult situations. Workforce shortages are affecting all areas of health, which in turn leads to pressure on your practice staff as they need to work longer hours and deal with more complex patients, often doing more with less.
16 October 2024
Cybersmart week and Business Life Plan
Cyber Smart week is 21-27 October. Cert NZ the Government Agency will be providing information on their website. The focus this year is to raise the importance of being secure on-line and encouraging the use of two-factor authentication and maintaining strong passwords.
17 September 2024
September newsletter
This month we have highlighted the recent Court Appeal determination that four Uber drivers are in fact employees not contractors. We are also looking at the Institute of Directors guidelines on the responsibilities of Directors under health and safety legislation, and privacy guidelines from the Office of the Privacy Commission.
Join other practices already using HealthyPractice.
Register now