IIML develops cyber risk assessment model for healthcare systems

The research team from the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIML) has developed a cybersecurity risk assessment model for healthcare systems. The team said that the Healthcare Cyber Risk Assessment model evaluates and mitigates the risks of cyberattacks while ensuring the security of patient data and service continuity. The research funded by the Cyber Security Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The model can help healthcare institutions' chief information officers (CIOs) determine the establishments' vulnerability to cyberattacks, along with offering recommendations on how to prevent them. Further, it employs Collective Risk Modelling to assess the potential severity of cyberattacks. 

“Our risk assessment and quantification models have helped us group 1,788 US healthcare firms on a ‘heat matrix’ that shows the likelihood of a cyberattack and its potential severity. This gives us a clear picture of how ready the firms are to tackle cyber threats. We also propose a plan to tackle the risks, which is customised according to the position of the firm in the matrix,” said  Prof. Arunabha Mukhopadhyay, research team lead.

Last year in November, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was jolted by a cyberattack that caused disruption in services. The servers of the hospital were out of order and internal services remained blocked for several days. This also resulted in the suspension of two analysts for alleged breach of cybersecurity.

As per market research firm CheckPoint Research, cyberattacks in the healthcare sector increased by 60% in 2022 compared to 2021. Another report by Indusface revealed that India was the second-most targetted country in terms of attacks on the healthcare sector last year.