4 Ways Healthcare Application Security can be Improved

A secure app is important for any business. It’s even more crucial for healthcare apps because sensitive patient information is on the line. Vulnerable healthcare apps can create safety risks for patients—i.e., raising the risk of ID theft and medical fraud.  

A patient’s medical data contains more information about them than any other form of data and is hence valuable to hackers. The increased risk to healthcare data has encouraged developers to be more thorough in developing codes so that apps can be made safer.

There are, of course, additional measures that must be taken to secure user data. Our experts at Lean Security have suggested a few ways healthcare applications can be improved.  

1- Restrict Access to Information

This is applicable only if you are a healthcare centre that offers its devices to caregivers and non-staff members.

Only authorised users should be granted access to the protected data on a mobile device. Prevent unauthorised personnel from gaining sensitive information by implementing multi-factor authentication. This method gives access to information only after the user successfully presents separate pieces of information for verification.

2- Conducting Research for Regulatory Compliance

The field of medicine is significantly affected by the progress and implementation of various IT infrastructures. Legislative bodies around the world have implemented policies that regulate how sensitive patient data is handled. This is especially true for cases where medical apps are used by multiple personnel, which comes with the increased chances of a breach.

Region-specific policies should be considered while developing a medical app—this will ensure that it’s safe for the general public. Below are some regulatory guidelines put in place by the Australian government.

· The manufacturer should apply appropriate conformity procedures,

· The manufacturer should submit an Australian Declaration of Conformity,

· The manufacturer must monitor ongoing performance and safety breaches (post-marketing).

3- Data Encryption

Encryption is one of the most effective ways to protect sensitive data online. Healthcare data encryption entails the encryption of electronic medical records (EMR) so that they’re hidden from unauthorised users. Personal health information needs to be secured against confidentiality breaches. Encryption can be used to protect the following:

· Database

· Email messages

· Patient files

· Hard drives.

4- Train Employees to Recognise Potential Attacks

Policies and procedures should be implemented to accommodate the digitisation of patient records better. These policies should be backed up with appropriate training for medical staff. This helps prevent unintentional mistakes that could lead to data breaches.

5- Running Application Testing

To identify bugs and errors, you’re advised to run an app test. Penetration testing, data security tests and network testing are some of the most dependable testing techniques. We make sure your application isn’t disassembled so as to secure the visibility of your IP within the mobile application.

We help to mitigate the following security risks:

· Protecting the security components of your application,

· Limiting patient data EMR exposure,

· IP protection for medical devices,

· Prevent device tampering,

· Management application and internal staff information.

Looking for a penetration testing provider? Reach out to Lean Security. We help medical and healthcare providers by ensuring that their medical applications are completely safe from attacks. To avail our services, call us at +61 (2) 8078 6952 or email us at info@leansecurity.com.au.

Mobile App Penetration Testing- Frequently Asked Questions

Mobile app penetration testing is a form of security testing that analyzes how secure a mobile app is. Through these penetration tests, companies are able to assess potential vulnerabilities in a mobile application. They prove to be extremely useful to companies by giving them a chance to correct their mistakes in design and code. Another reason why conducting penetration tests is crucial is that they’re relatively less expensive to conduct and save you the cost of fixing the app and recovering from a breach.

Thinking of running a mobile app penetration test but still have questions? Our experts have answered some FAQs below.

1- How much do mobile app penetration tests cost?

Lean Security offers multiple tiers of tests from 1–3. The first tier is a basic penetration testing service, which identifies the Top 10 security issues that pose a risk to your mobile app. It’s recommended for low-risk mobile apps. The cost of this tier 1 test is $ 1,900.00 AUD.

The second tier test is suitable for e-commerce applications as well as gaming applications and booking apps. The methodology for the best is based on OWASP and NIST standards. This test costs $2,800.00 AUD.

The third tier package is designed to perform a thorough mobile application penetration test. A senior penetration tester will employ methods based on OWASP and NIST standards and a report will be drafted, which will help the company meet regulatory obligations and security policies. This package costs about $6,000.00 AUD.

2- How long does a penetration test take?

The duration of a penetration test depends on a number of factors. It’s a hands-on assessment of your mobile application and should not be rushed. These projects commonly take about one week, but depending on which tier test you opt for, this could take multiple weeks as well.

3- What do we need to provide before the test?

Your service provider will need to familiarise themselves with your company and the nature of your business—only then will they be able to form an accurate proposal. Thus, the more information you’re willing to share, the better the assessment the provider will be able to form.

4- How do I select a penetration testing provider?

Since the security of your mobile app depends on it, you’re looking for someone who has a good grasp of the tests you’d like them to run. Make sure you ask them for relevant references and inquire how they’ll go about securing your data. Make sure they provide you with a sample report and ask them for liability insurance. Take measures to verify how well they can manage your project and ensure that you’re clear on the methodology and process they’ll employ.

If you feel your provider lacks the knowhow to carry out the test effectively, you shouldn’t carry on with them.  

If you’re a business owner in Australia looking for a mobile app penetration testing provider, then reach out to Lean Security. We offer various pricing packages, making it easier to manage your budget.

To avail our services, call us at +61 (2) 8078 6952 or get in touch with us online.

How Your Business Can Benefit from a Penetration Testing Provider

Penetration testing (or pentesting for short) is a kind of security test that assesses an organisation’s security and IT infrastructure for vulnerabilities to exploit. According to FedRAMP, a penetration test is an authorised and proactive effort on behalf of the organisation itself or a third-party security firm that assesses service errors, misconfigurations, and risky end-user behaviours.

A penetration test may also evaluate an organisation’s security policy compliance, its employees’ security awareness, and the organisation’s ability to identify and respond to security threats and breaches.

Types of Penetration Tests

There are various types of penetration tests that one could run to assess their organisation’s security depending on the purpose.

· Web Application Penetration Test

· Mobile Application Penetration Test

· API Penetration Test

· IoT Penetration Test

· External Network Penetration Test

Benefits of Penetration Testing

Many businesses have made penetration testing an essential feature to their security protocols. Regular penetration tests ensure the proper functioning and up-to-date security measures of an organisation. Here are some common benefits of regular penetration testing.

Manages Risk

Penetration testing provides a lot of organisations a solid baseline for optimal risk assessment. They can specifically target certain infrastructural features and environments to discover and manage vulnerabilities. Risks will be listed according to their severity, so you will know which ones to tackle first.

Circumvents the Rate of Network Downtime and Saves Costs

One of the major benefits of penetration testing is that it is a proactive effort to detect and address threats in the system. This means that businesses will avoid having to deal with the financial repercussions of their security flaws.

Retention programs, IT remediation, customer protection, legal activities, etc., are some things businesses will have to engage when recuperating from a security setback.

Maintains Reputation of Business

A security breach can be devastating for a company’s public relationships and its reputation. An organisation can fall victim to data tampering which may result in leaked client and partner details. Regular penetration tests can assess risks beforehand, so companies don’t fall prey to security breaches that affect their business irreparably.

Has your business not undergone a penetration test in a while? Delaying the process will only increase the risk of a security breach.

Lean Security is a trusted penetration testing provider. Whether your business requires a web or mobile application penetration test, or an external network penetration test, Lean Security is the way to go. Get in touch with us today! Call +61280786952.

What Hackers Look for in a Mobile App

When we talk about hacking, it usually conjures up images of a desktop computer or a large organisation’s mainframe. Many of us assume our mobile phones are safe. That isn’t the truth.

71 percent of all fraudulent transactions occurred from mobile applications and mobile browsers in the second quarter of 2018. According to a 2016 report on mobile security by Intertrust, mobile app hacks and breaches are going to cost $1.5 billion by 2021.

There are many reasons why cybercriminals want to hack your phone—eavesdropping, stealing money, stalking, blackmailing; the list goes on. How they go about it is what you should be aware of.

Here are some vulnerabilities hackers look to exploit in mobile apps.

Lack of Multifactor Authentication

The lack of multifactor authentication can be a serious security risk when users have simple and insecure passwords. Without second or third security validation steps, hackers only require a little bit of your personal information to get into the mobile app and access your data.

Insecure Data Storage

Storing your data securely is important if you wish to minimise the risk of hacking. Carelessness or errors when storing passwords and other personally identifiable information is a pretty common vulnerability that hackers exploit.

Insufficient Encryption

Failure to include encryption or cryptographic can be a big mistake. Without encryption, hackers find it a breeze to access secure information.

Client-Side Code Injection

Even a single line of code sent through a form could allow hackers to exploit server-side vulnerabilities in the application.

Reverse Engineering

Hackers who gain access to an app’s source code can reverse engineer it to build an identical one. Users who then download and use the clone app are infected with malware.

Do you have any doubts about your mobile app’s security? Feel like it could do with a hacking test?

Lean Security is a trusted penetration testing provider. Whether it’s a mobile application penetration test, a web application penetration test or an external network penetration test, Lean Security is the right partner for your business.

As part of our mobile app penetration testing service, we conduct a mobile client assessment, a network assessment, and backend web service assessment. All clients will then be provided with a detailed technical report.

Get in touch with us today! Call +61280786952

5 Reasons Why Cloud-Based Security is Right for Your Business

Cloud-based security provides a fresh approach to detecting and mitigating security threats for businesses today. Cloud-based security entails the use of a third-party security provider that deploys a cloud platform in front of the organisation’s private security infrastructure.

Here are five reasons why your business could do with cloud-based security.

Simplicity

Cyber threats have evolved and tackling them with the right response is getting more complicated.

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks—cyberattacks that deny legitimate users access to information systems, devices, or other networks—that come from within the data centre require lengthy and complicated responses. Moving the point of mitigation to a third-party cloud platform allows organisations to neutralise the complexity of securing every part of their infrastructure from DDoS attacks.

Scale

The large-scale security infrastructure that cloud providers have at their disposal greatly outweighs any measures an individual organisation can make. Ensure that your third-party cloud security provider has a large total capacity on their platform by checking the daily traffic it delivers.

Threat Intelligence

A security firm that specialises in cloud-based security will have a larger database on potential cyber threats than an organisation or agency will. Their intelligence responses and measures—new attack signatures; improved web application firewall rules—will be up-to-date and experienced.

 

Cost

The size and cost of an infrastructure required to address continually evolving cyber attacks is larger than most organisations would prefer. Moreover, upgrading the infrastructure to match hardware and software changes, and newer user-interfaces cost businesses a lot of money.  Cloud-based security allows organisations to exchange costly upfront expenditures for an operational expense that is low-recurring.

Internal Security Risks

External hackers aren’t the only enemies organisations have to deal with. Internal threats can often be more devastating and costly for businesses.

One of the reasons why this is the case is that insiders don’t always threaten the organisation’s security intentionally. Insiders have access to sensitive information on a regular basis. They may be familiar with the ins-and-outs of the company’s security protocols. Social media posts made by insiders is a frequent source of information leaks.

Lean Security is a trusted cyber security partner when it comes to delivering the latest in Cloud WAF Managed Service. Our cloud-based solution monitors inbound traffic in real-time 24/7 and analyses it in a timely manner. It also identifies possible defects in your application that could pose a threat to your information security.

If you need security testing services or a penetration testing provider for your organisation, get in touch with us today. Call +61280786952.