Strong security practices and methodologies, such as email authentication, are advisable to protect organizations from cyber threats. These are especially useful for email account security.
Strong security practices stem from the CISA advisories on the best practices tailored to protect organizations from the rise in cyber threats. According to the CISA, “CISA helps individuals and organizations communicate current cyber trends and attacks, manage cyber risks, strengthen defenses, and implement preventative measures.” In sectors like healthcare, these practices are a necessary part of maintaining the security of protected health information (PHI), making it a valuable companion to the HIPAA Security Rule. While the Security Rule outlines the safeguards organizations should have in place, the CISA advises on specific methods of implementing these safeguards and updated threats to guard against.
The CISA offers guidance to healthcare organizations on how to proactively manage vulnerabilities and mitigate risks to protect systems and the data within. Part of this advice is the implementation of asset management practices that oversee the best possible use of an organization's assets through its lifecycle. These help identify and secure connected devices and software in an organization.
The CISA provides advice on unsupported software that is frequently exploited by threat actors. Frameworks like the Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) and the Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) provide security measures that can be further integrated into daily operations for HIPAA compliance.
The Security Rule, specifically the Technical Safeguards section, requires that ePHI is encrypted during transmission to prevent unauthorized actors from accessing it. Using a HIPAA compliant email platform like Paubox ensures seamless encryption so that every email sent is protected without any additional steps.
To prevent email-based phishing attacks commonly used by cybercriminals, email authentication protocols like SPF and DMARC help authenticate the sender's domain.
In line with the CISA’s Cybersecurity Performance Goals and the HIPAA Security Rule, organizations have to implement strict access controls for email systems. Platforms like Paubox maintain access logs so that irregular access can be flagged and addressed promptly to mitigate the risk of insider threats.
The Security Rule requires healthcare organizations store ePHI in a way that can be readily accessed for authorized use and protected against unauthorized access.
Use email filtering solutions that automatically scan incoming and outgoing emails for malware, phishing attempts, and other suspicious content. Tools like this can help identify and quarantine harmful emails before reaching the user's inbox.
Encourage users to regularly check and update security and privacy settings to ensure they use the latest protections available from their email service provider.
A part of HIPAA that focuses on the security of electronic health information (ePHI).
It covers three main areas:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and provides guidelines and best practices to improve cybersecurity across different industries.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is part of the Department of Homeland Security and works to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure from cyber threats.
Email authentication protocols are techniques designed to verify the legitimacy or origin of email messages to help prevent spoofing and phishing attacks.