The healthcare industry is number one... in cyberattacks. Yes, you read that correctly. Cybercriminals go after medical offices, clinics and hospitals because the data they store goes much further than the credit card numbers they pilfer from unsuspecting e-commerce sites.

Credit card numbers can be cancelled. The information cyber crooks steal from medical facilities cannot. The information hackers are in search for include names, addresses, birthdates, social security numbers (SSNs) and health insurance account numbers. Because people can't change their birthdates or SSNs, the data doesn't spoil, fetching a pricey sum on the dark web.

To safeguard your private practice, you need cyber insurance for medical practices. However, to really protect your patients and staff, you'll need a cybersecurity plan. Good cybersecurity practices start with your staff.

According to the Data Privacy Monitor, human error is the number one cause for data breach, rounding out at 37 percent. Healthcare professionals see this as a real cause for alarm, with 80 percent reporting that they don't believe their staff has the cybersecurity training they need to recognize a cyber threat.

Cybercriminals are constantly at work developing scams to trick and confuse their targets into sharing access codes, payroll accounts and patient information, all without the target realizing they have done anything wrong.

Imagine getting an email from a physician asking for a patient's medical record. Since it's the doctor who is asking for it, why not send them the file electronically?

This is exactly what a hacker wants medical staff to do. By creating an email account that looks to be from the boss, they have successfully tricked a low-level employee into sharing sensitive information that can then be sold on the dark web. Commonly referred to as spoofing, a spoofing email is a forged email that looks like it has been sent from a verified source.

How can your team fight against cybercriminal activity if they don't know what type of tools the criminals are using?

Weapons of the Cybercriminal Arsenal ‍

Phishing: As noted above, this type of cyberattack includes a cybercriminal making an electronic request via email from a trusted third party. When the unsuspecting recipient clicks on the email, they download a virus infecting the network.

Trojan Horse: This type of attack occurs when a user downloads malicious software believing that it has already been verified safe to use.

Drive-by-Downloads: This type of attack occurs when an infected program downloads and installs itself on a computer without the user's consent.

Man-in-the-Middle: This type of attack occurs when a cybercriminal successfully corrupts a user's communications network and inserts themselves in an email correspondence between two or more unsuspecting parties. The two parties believe they are only sharing information with each other, when in fact, they are also sharing it with the cybercriminal.

By training your staff on how to recognize unusual behavior online and in their email, they will be better prepared to spot and stop a cybercriminal from infiltrating your practice's network. Alas, cybercriminals are crafty. You'll need a safety net should they crack your code. Cyber insurance for medical practices will protect your practice should a cybercriminal commit a data breach. Sign up for your policy today with CyberPolicy.