Cybersecurity threats are estimated to cost the world US $6 trillion a year by 2021, and the number of attacks has increased five-fold after COVID-19. Although there is substantial literature on the threats technological vulnerabilities have on the health care industry, less research exists on how pandemics like COVID-19 are opportunistic for cybercriminals. This paper outlines why cyberattacks have been particularly problematic during COVID-19 and ways that health care industries can better protect patient data. The Office for Civil Rights has loosened enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which, although useful in using new platforms like Zoom, has also loosened physical and technical safeguards to cyberattacks. This is especially problematic given that 90% of health care providers had already encountered data breaches. Companies must implement well-defined software upgrade procedures, should use secure networks like virtual local area networks, and conduct regular penetration tests of their systems. By understanding factors that make individuals, health care organizations, and employers more susceptible to cyberattacks, we can better prepare for the next pandemic.

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中文翻译：

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大流行中的网络安全风险。


据估计，到 2021 年，网络安全威胁每年会给世界造成 6 万亿美元的损失，并且在 COVID-19 爆发后，攻击数量增加了五倍。尽管有大量文献探讨技术漏洞对医疗保健行业造成的威胁，但关于像 COVID-19 这样的流行病如何为网络犯罪分子提供机会的研究却很少。本文概述了为什么网络攻击在 COVID-19 期间特别成问题，以及医疗保健行业可以更好地保护患者数据的方法。民权办公室放松了《健康保险流通和责任法案》的执行力度，该法案虽然对于使用 Zoom 等新平台很有用，但也放松了针对网络攻击的物理和技术保障措施。鉴于 90% 的医疗保健提供者已经遭遇过数据泄露，这一问题尤其严重。公司必须实施明确的软件升级程序，应使用虚拟局域网等安全网络，并定期对其系统进行渗透测试。通过了解使个人、医疗保健组织和雇主更容易受到网络攻击的因素，我们可以更好地为下一次大流行做好准备。


这只是摘要。请阅读 JMIR 网站上的完整文章。 JMIR 是互联网时代电子健康和医疗保健领域领先的开放获取期刊。