Telehealth has gained unbelievable momentum during the COVID-19 outbreak. Now its market size is as big as ever and is projected to a CAGR of 22.0% within the next 8 years. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global telehealth market size is capped at USD 161.64 billion in 2024.
As prosperous as the activity is, telehealth could be seriously undermined if security flaws aren’t considered and addressed. There are countless privacy and security breaches possible during telehealth sessions.
Devices located in patient’s homes can accidentally transmit sensitive information they’re not supposed to. That data, sensitive or private, may share information with third-party advertisers.
This is just one example: a simple insulin pump (for instance) could bring breaches across multiple national and even international regulations.
In this blog post, we will explore the most common security insecurities one should consider before entering the game and starting your telehealth project development.
1. Weak Encryption
Encryption is one of the biggest security measures out there. Healthcare facilities and private practices that use telehealth tools should protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. The implementation of advanced encryption protocols allows data to be stored and transmitted in an unreadable format so that potential attackers or unauthorized users won’t decipher the data.
Health records and personal information of the patients can become a powerful weapon in the villain’s hands if intercepted. End-to-end encryption is a must for data protection during its transmission.
2. Unsecured Video Conferencing
Telehealth platforms are mostly about video conferencing, therefore, if not compliant, health sessions can be vulnerable to a new kind of attack called “zoom-bombing”. The unpleasant encounters with Internet trolls where unauthorized users join the sessions uninvited. Secure protocols, unique session links, and password protection should be the most obvious measures to have more secure video conferencing.
Overall, Zoom isn’t a fitting tool for telehealth. The platform claimed to use industry-standard AES-256 cryptography, but researchers found out that inferior AES-128 is the main protocol. Non-end-to-end encryption is the way for personal health information to be exposed. Mass video streaming software tools aren’t fitting healthcare requirements.
3. User Authentication and Identification Issues
Both patients and practitioners should avoid using weak authentication mechanisms that could lead to unauthorized access to telehealth systems. Multi-factor authentication mitigates some of the risks single-factor authentication can’t prevent.
No one’s going to argue that telehealth makes healthcare access more flexible for patients, but it’s their duty (and in their interest) to identify themselves in the virtual space. Obviously, there could not be any physical documents involved, so ID verification should be included in the features of the software.
4. Data Storage Vulnerabilities
Whether your telehealth app stores patient data on a server, on a cloud, or on the device you’re using to connect, data exposure, poses a risk to the patients. We’ve already mentioned about the importance of encryption.
Storage systems should comply strictly with HIPAA regulations. That way, malicious hacker attacks will be thwarted. However, there are major concerns in the industry. According to a TechTarget survey, over 80% of telehealth providers are worried about data leaks.
5. Poor Access Control
Access to telehealth app log-in should only be granted to the practitioners and personnel who are authorized to communicate with patients and have access to their private information. Role-based access control is no joke, and limiting access to data to those who are entitled to the role.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a fundamental concept in access management. The permissions of access should only be given to the employees that need it to perform its work duties and no more than that.
6. Non-Compliance with Healthcare Regulations
Non-compliance in healthcare is when individuals do not follow the rules, regulations, and laws that relate to healthcare practices.
Telehealth services software is mandatory to comply with privacy laws (HIPAA in North America, and GDPR in Europe). When it doesn’t, this leads to fines (best key scenario) and data breaches (devastating consequences might follow). If your telehealth platform follows all the legal regulations for data privacy, that is an absolute minimum for its prosperity.
Sometimes even being fully HIPAA-compliant isn’t enough. The organization must also comply with certain federal (or state) regulations if we’re speaking on the US operating companies. We also omit financial regulations, internal policies, and other types of regulations.
Not complying with HIPAA alone could make your facility go broke. Healthcare providers can be fined up to $50,000 for each violation, and up to $1.5 million per year if the violations keep on repeating.
Elinext has been delivering HIPAA-compliant healthcare software to our clients in North America and GDPR-compliant software to our European partners. Finding a reliable software developer is the only way to avoid all the possible drawbacks caused by the non-compliance of your telehealth solution.
7. Device Security Risks
Patients and practitioners sometimes use personal devices to access telehealth services. Naturally, those devices may lack adequate security measures, which create all the possible vulnerabilities, some of which were already mentioned in the article.
The guidelines for patients is to use personal computers or mobile devices rather than public ones. Avoiding the device connected to the patient’s workplace. Workplace networks and public settings can use public networks, and that creates quite a set of vulnerabilities.
Also, the latest version of telehealth software is usually the most secure as all the possible vulnerabilities are constantly being taken care of by diligent software developers. So checking for updates and installing them in time is preferable for the telehealth apps.
8. Insecure APIs
Telehealth platforms often use APIs to integrate with other systems. Whether it is your hospital’s EHR system, CRM, or another databank, weak or improperly secured APIs can be entry points for hackers, leading to data leaks or system compromise.
API security should involve rigorous testing, authentication, and encryption. It is not a rare case when Elinext software developers work on solutions that have to scale both vertically and horizontally.
That means that complex systems have to connect to a bigger number of servers, and increase hardware capacity/software efficiency with time. We make sure that APIs are connected securely, and data leaks are impossible as no vulnerabilities are being created.
9. Lack of Audit Logging
Without proper audit logging, it can be difficult to track and identify unauthorized access or data breaches within the telehealth system. Most modern telehealth systems have at least a log-in history.
Our developers who work on telehealth software development can implement robust logging and monitoring mechanisms to detect suspicious activities and provide traceability.
10. Social Engineering Attacks
Telehealth platforms are not immune to phishing attacks targeting both healthcare providers and patients.
Attackers may impersonate legitimate healthcare workers while not being one. to steal login credentials or sensitive information.
Regular training should partially solve problems. An awareness program should be implemented to help users recognize and avoid phishing and social engineering attempts.
Conclusion
Securing telehealth systems is not a one-time task; it requires continuous effort and adaptability to keep up with the evolving cyber threat landscape. By staying informed about the latest security trends and integrating best practices into your project, you can safeguard patient data and maintain the integrity of your custom-built platform.
At Elinext, we specialize in building secure, reliable, and compliant telehealth solutions. If you’re starting a telehealth project and want to ensure the highest levels of security and trust, contact us.
Let us help you develop a secure telehealth system that meets your needs, looks competitive on the market, and doesn’t cause any disturbance from a security standpoint.
This blog post lists potential vulnerabilities an average telehealth platform owner and its users are exposed to. As one can see, most of the data breaches that are reported in mass numbers could be avoided if the common security guidelines are followed, and your software designer knows how to do his work. The latter is guaranteed if you partner with a company that’s been on the market for almost 30 years, constantly delivering secure products.
