How to Identify Risks, Protect against Threats and Respond if Attacked: A New White Paper and Free Benchmarking Questionnaire from LeadingAge’s CAST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 21, 2018
Contact: Lisa Sanders, 202-508-9407, lsanders@leadingage.org

Cybersecurity: What Aging Services Providers Need to Know
How to Identify Risks, Protect against Threats and Respond if Attacked
A New White Paper and Free Benchmarking Questionnaire from LeadingAge’s CAST

Washington D.C. – Understanding the threat of criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data is a primary concern for all providers of health care. For those in the aging services field, the need to do so is particularly urgent. That’s why today, LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) releases a Cybersecurity White Paper created to inform LeadingAge members and others in the aging services field how to understand the threats, how to mitigate risks, and respond if attacked. “Cybersecurity is a hallmark of the 21 century and represents a continually evolving and complex topic,” said Majd Alwan, Executive Director of CAST. “Providers in the aging services sector are, by some assessments, less prepared in this area than their acute-care counterparts. So understanding the issues, identifying vulnerabilities, and taking actions as necessary to mitigate risk and avoid being a victim is crucial.”

Vigilance is particularly important for health care providers, who for two reasons, are among cyber-criminals’ most frequent targets: the data stored in providers’ systems is lucrative, and security is often weak compared to that of other industries. That, coupled with the high cost of post-attack action plans — average expenses of a breach are pegged at more than $2.4 million for notification, forensics, legal fees and fines — provide compelling rationale to be proactive. CAST’s Cybersecurity Benchmarking Questionnaire, a companion piece to the new white paper, helps organizations assess the areas around cybersecurity that warrant their attention, and indicate the correct course of actions(s) they need to take to stay ahead of cyberthreats.

Used in tandem, the paper and benchmarking questionnaire, help providers to: think through concerns related to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) rules; analyze risks based on assessment and expert data on common threats; identify and implement best-practices and management techniques; develop a plan following a cybersecurity assessment; and understand, broadly, options and approaches to protect their data and technology infrastructure.

Read the Cybersecurity White Paper and Benchmarking Questionnaire now.

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About the LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies:

The LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) is focused on accelerating the development, evaluation, and adoption of emerging technologies that will transform the aging experience. An international coalition of more than 400 technology companies, aging services organizations, businesses, research universities, and government representatives, CAST works under the auspices of LeadingAge, and association of 6,000+ members and partners that include nonprofit organizations representing the entire field of aging services, 38 state partners, hundreds of businesses, consumer groups, foundations and research partners.