New study shows NHS lacking in cyber security measures

A recent study reveals that NHS cyber security is under pressure due to budget cuts, and just 10% cent of organisations have efficiently established encryption.

The NHS suffered more data breaches than any other organisation in 2015, and the new study uncovered the discrepancy between the strong image that the NHS has of cyber security with the actual protection it has in place.

In Sophos’ research of 250 IT managers, CTOs and CIOs from the NHS, 76% claimed to have adequate protection against data loss and cyber crime, with 72% naming data loss as their main concern with regards to cyber security.

However, although 84% said that  they view encryption as becoming essential, further results showed that NHS encryption levels are concerning.

Just 10% of survey participants said that encryption has been firmly established by their organisation. Only 59% said that email encryption is in place, 34% encryption of data in the cloud, and 49% share encryption.

Sophos UK and Ireland sector manager for UK healthcare, Jonathan Lee, said:

“This study highlights that NHS organisations still face significant IT security issues and that IT decision makers have work to do to address gaps in their security. Failure to take the necessary precautions to keep cybercriminals out, to safeguard data and ultimately to protect patients and staff will continue to cause significant problems for NHS organisations.”

Clearly, the NHS, as well as other organisations within the UK, need to reprioritise how they look at creating and filling cyber security jobs.