How ANZ Healthcare Can Stay Ahead of Cyber Threats with Continuous Pentesting

As cyber threats targeting healthcare providers in New Zealand continue to rise, it's crucial to ask: Is your organization prepared to handle these evolving risks? According to the 2023 Cyber Threat Report by New Zealand's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), healthcare systems have become prime targets for cybercriminals. With sensitive patient data and critical systems at stake, healthcare providers cannot afford to rely on outdated cybersecurity measures.

Agile pentesting offers a cost-effective and continuous security solution that addresses the unique needs of healthcare organizations. By replacing traditional, once-a-year penetration tests with ongoing, real-time assessments, healthcare providers can proactively manage vulnerabilities, improve compliance, and significantly reduce costs.

The Rising Cyber Threat Landscape in New Zealand Healthcare

In the last year alone, healthcare providers in New Zealand experienced a 43% increase in ransomware attacks, highlighting the growing cyber risks to patient data and operational systems. These incidents underscore the importance of regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing (VAPT), but traditional pentesting models fall short.

The health sector handles vast amounts of sensitive data across numerous hospitals and healthcare facilities. With complex networks and interconnected systems, these organizations are particularly vulnerable. The static, once-a-year testing method exposes organizations to long periods of risk between tests, as new vulnerabilities can emerge at any time.

Why Traditional Pentesting is No Longer Enough

Traditional pentesting offers a one-off evaluation, typically performed annually. While this helps identify vulnerabilities at a single point in time, it fails to provide protection against emerging threats throughout the rest of the year. In a fast-evolving healthcare environment where new digital tools, medical devices, and cloud services are regularly adopted, vulnerabilities can arise after the pentest is completed, leaving your systems exposed for months.

Furthermore, traditional pentests can cost New Zealand healthcare organizations between $20,000 and $50,000 per test. This expense is significant, especially when considering that it provides no real-time support or continuous monitoring.

How Agile Pentesting Transforms Healthcare Security

Agile pentesting is a proactive, continuous security solution designed to meet the demands of modern healthcare systems. Here's why healthcare providers in ANZ should consider switching to agile pentesting:

• Continuous, Real-Time Protection

  Agile pentesting ensures that vulnerabilities are identified and patched in real time, rather than waiting for the next annual test. This continuous protection minimizes the window of opportunity for attackers and ensures that systems are always up to date.

  Healthcare organizations, which rely heavily on electronic health records (EHR) and interconnected medical devices, need to be vigilant about protecting these systems. Agile pentesting keeps these vital infrastructures secure by providing ongoing monitoring and risk mitigation.

• Faster Detection and Remediation

  Cybersecurity incidents in healthcare can have catastrophic consequences, from data breaches to operational disruptions. With agile pentesting, vulnerabilities are detected and addressed immediately, reducing the risk of ransomware attacks and unauthorized data access. This rapid detection and response are particularly important for protecting medical devices, such as insulin pumps and diagnostic equipment, which can be exploited if not continuously monitored.

• Cost-Effective Subscription Model

  One of the key benefits of agile pentesting is its cost-effectiveness. Instead of paying a large sum for an annual test, healthcare organizations can adopt a subscription-based model that spreads costs evenly over the year. This model includes everything—retesting, remediation support, and compliance management—so there are no hidden fees or unexpected expenses. By making security more affordable and predictable, agile pentesting is ideal for healthcare providers that need to balance patient care with tight budgets.

• Compliance with Healthcare Regulations

  Healthcare providers in New Zealand are subject to strict regulations. Compliance with these regulations is essential to avoid penalties and ensure trust with patients. Agile pentesting helps healthcare organizations stay compliant by continuously monitoring for vulnerabilities and ensuring that all systems are secure and up to date.

• Tailored Security for Healthcare

  Healthcare networks are unique, with a wide variety of connected devices, complex infrastructure, and critical systems. Agile pentesting platforms, like Capture The Bug, offer customized security solutions designed specifically for the healthcare industry. From protecting internal networks to securing cloud-based patient management systems, agile pentesting adapts to the specific needs of each organization.

Identifying Vulnerabilities in Healthcare Networks, APIs, and Infrastructure

According to the NCSC's 2023 Cyber Threat Report, network infrastructure and API vulnerabilities are becoming significant entry points for cyberattacks in New Zealand's healthcare sector. As healthcare providers increasingly rely on interconnected systems and cloud-based applications, these vulnerabilities can expose sensitive patient data and disrupt critical services.

Agile pentesting is uniquely suited to uncover these kinds of weaknesses by continuously testing network security, identifying exposed APIs, and ensuring that healthcare infrastructures are fortified against evolving threats. Some of the most common vulnerabilities found in healthcare systems include:

• Unsecured APIs: Healthcare applications often rely on APIs to transfer sensitive data between systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and diagnostic tools. If these APIs are not properly secured, they can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to patient data.
• Weak Network Configurations: Misconfigured networks or weak security protocols can allow attackers to move laterally across systems, increasing the risk of a data breach or ransomware attack.
• Unpatched Systems: Healthcare systems are frequently targeted due to outdated software that lacks the latest security patches. Agile pentesting helps healthcare organizations stay ahead by continuously scanning for these vulnerabilities and recommending timely fixes.

By identifying and addressing these critical vulnerabilities, agile pentesting helps healthcare organizations mitigate risks and protect their digital infrastructure from cyberattacks.

Ease of Launching Pentests with Agile Pentesting

Agile pentesting platforms make it easy for healthcare organizations to initiate tests without the lengthy onboarding and scheduling processes associated with traditional pentesting vendors. Platforms like Capture The Bug allow organizations to quickly launch internal and external network pentests, ensuring that security testing fits seamlessly into existing IT workflows.

With minimal effort, healthcare providers can stay ahead of threats, protecting both patient data and the operational integrity of their systems.

Why Healthcare Providers Should Adopt Agile Pentesting

In an industry where patient data is invaluable and operational uptime is critical, healthcare organizations in ANZ must move beyond traditional, once-a-year penetration testing. Agile pentesting offers a cost-effective, continuous solution that keeps healthcare systems secure, compliant, and resilient in the face of evolving cyber threats.

By adopting agile pentesting, healthcare providers in New Zealand can protect patient data, reduce security costs, and maintain regulatory compliance - all while improving their overall cybersecurity posture.