Scenario 1:
HealthGenic is a leading multi-specialty healthcare organization providing patients with comprehensive medical services in Toronto, Canad a. The organization relies heavily on a web-based medical software platform to monitor patient health, schedule appointments, generate customized medical reports, securely store patient data, and facilitate seamless communication among various stakeholders, including patients, physicians, and medical laboratory staff.
As the organization expanded its services and demand grew, frequent and prolonged service interruptions became more common, causing significant disruptions to patient care and administrative processes. As such, HealthGenic initiated a comprehensive risk analysis to assess the severity of risks it faced.
When comparing the risk analysis results with its risk criteria to determine whether the risk and its significance were acceptable or tolerable, HealthGenic noticed a critical gap in its capacity planning and infrastructure resilience. Recognizing the urgency of this issue, HealthGenic reached out to the software development company responsible for its platform. Utilizing its expertise in healthcare technology, data management, and compliance regulations, the software development company successfully resolved the service interruptions.
However, HealthGenic also uncovered unauthorized changes to user access controls. Consequently, some medical reports were altered, resulting in incomplete and inaccurate medical records. The company swiftly acknowledged and corrected the unintentional changes to user access controls. When analyzing the root cause of these changes, HealthGenic identified a vulnerability related to the segregation of duties within the IT department, which allowed individuals with system administration access also to manage user access controls. Therefore, HealthGenic decided to prioritize controls related to organizational structure, including segregation of duties, job rotations, job descriptions, and approval processes.
In response to the consequences of the service interruptions, the software development company revamped its infrastructure by adopting a scalable architecture hosted on a cloud platform, enabling dynamic resource allocation based on demand. Rigorous load testing and performance optimization were conducted to identify and address potential bottlenecks, ensuring the system could handle increased user loads seamlessly. Additionally, the company promptly assessed the unauthorized access and data alterations.
To ensure that all employees, including interns, are aware of the importance of data security and the proper handling of patient information, HealthGenic included controls tailored to specifically address employee training, management reviews, and internal audits. Additionally, given the sensitivity of patient data, HealthGenic implemented strict confidentiality measures, including robust authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication.
In response to the challenges faced by HealthGenic, the organization recognized the vital importance of ensuring a secure cloud computing environment. It initiated a comprehensive self-assessment specifically tailored to evaluate and enhance the security of its cloud infrastructure and practices.
Which information security principle was impacted by the alteration of medical records?