At a time when cyberattacks are on the increase, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks represent a particularly worrying threat to critical infrastructures, especially in the healthcare sector. Although they receive less media coverage than data theft, these attacks can cause service interruptions with potentially dramatic consequences.
How does a DDoS attack work?
A DDoS attack aims to saturate a server or network by sending out a massive volume of simultaneous requests. To achieve this, hackers use botnets, i.e. networks of computers infected with malicious software, capable of executing instructions remotely. Each machine in the botnet sends a multitude of requests to the targeted server, which eventually becomes overwhelmed and unable to respond to legitimate users.
In the hospital sector, where system availability is crucial, such an attack can paralyze essential services such as:
* Access to electronic medical records, delaying patient care.
* Internal booking or communication systems between doctors and nursing staff.
* Connected devices used to monitor patients’ condition or administer treatments.
Why are hospitals being targeted?
Hospitals have become prime targets for several reasons:
1. Inadequate security: Unlike the banking or industrial sectors, hospital systems do not always have robust protections against cyber-attacks. Budgets allocated to cybersecurity are sometimes insufficient for the scale of the threat.
2. The importance of service availability: An unavailable system in a hospital can put lives at risk. Hackers know this, and use this urgency to exert pressure or demand ransoms.
3. An effective diversion: DDoS attacks are often used as a smokescreen. While technical teams are working to restore services, hackers may be carrying out other malicious actions, such as stealing sensitive data or installing spyware.
The consequences of a DDoS attack on the hospital sector
A DDoS attack can have an immediate and sometimes dramatic impact on hospital operations:
* Delays in patient care: If doctors can’t access medical records, diagnosis and treatment may be delayed. This can be critical for emergency patients.
* Disruption of administrative operations: Booking, billing or communication systems may be down, totally disorganizing the hospital.
* High financial costs: Restoring systems, reinforcing security and managing disruptions generate significant costs. Added to this are potential regulatory penalties if data is compromised during the attack.
* Reputational damage: Patients may lose confidence in the facility, especially if service disruptions have serious consequences for their health.
How can infrastructures be protected against DDoS attacks?
Faced with this growing threat, hospitals and healthcare facilities need to adopt preventive measures to protect their systems:
1. Anti-DDoS solutions: Install specialized devices capable of detecting and filtering malicious traffic before it reaches servers. Cloud services can also absorb the massive volume of requests to avoid saturation.
2. Real-time monitoring and alerting: Implement tools to monitor network activity and quickly identify anomalies that may signal an attack in progress.
3. Incident response plan : Develop a crisis management plan to respond effectively in the event of an attack. This includes training technical teams to restore services as quickly as possible.
4. System redundancy: Use redundant servers or backup solutions to ensure continuity of services, even in the event of an attack.
5. Team training : Raise staff awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, particularly to avoid human errors that could facilitate attacks (phishing, malware).
Essential vigilance in the face of digital threats
DDoS attacks illustrate just how vulnerable healthcare establishments remain to cyber threats. With sometimes serious consequences for patients and services, it is imperative that these structures take the measure of the risk and reinforce their defenses. Cybersecurity in the hospital sector can no longer be an option: it must become an absolute priority to guarantee the safety of systems and patients.
In a world of ever-increasing dependence on technology, resilience in the face of cyber-attacks is now a public health issue.