One in Five Health Employees Willing to Sell Confidential Data to Unauthorized Parties, Accenture Survey Finds
March 01 2018 - 5:29AM
Business Wire
Nearly one in five health employees (18 percent) said they would
be willing to sell confidential data to unauthorized parties,
according to a new survey from Accenture (NYSE: ACN).
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The survey, of 912 employees of provider and payer organizations
in the United States and Canada, found that the 18 percent of
respondents willing to sell confidential data to unauthorized
parties would do so for as little as between $500 and $1,000. In
addition, respondents from provider organizations were
significantly more likely than those in payer organizations to say
they would sell confidential data (21 percent vs. 12 percent). This
includes selling login credentials, installing tracking software
and downloading data to a portable drive, among other actions.
The survey also found that health employees’ willingness to sell
confidential data is not just hypothetical: roughly one-quarter (24
percent) of the respondents said they know of someone in their
organization who has sold their credentials or access to an
unauthorized outsider. These actions contribute to the vast impact
of cybercrime that health organizations spent
an estimated US$12.5 million each, on average, addressing
in 2017.
“Health organizations are in the throes of a cyber war that is
being undermined by their own workforce,” said John Schoew, who
leads Accenture’s Health & Public Service Security practice in
North America. “With sensitive data a part of the job for millions
of health workers, organizations must foster a cyber culture that
addresses these deeply rooted issues so that employees become part
of the fight, not a weak link.”
While nearly all (99 percent) of the respondents said they feel
responsible for the security of data, their behavior suggests that
organizations cannot rely solely on employees to safeguard
data, as evidenced by the 21 percent who said they keep their user
name and password written down next to their computer. Ironically,
nearly all (97 percent) of the respondents said they understand
their organization’s explanation of data security and privacy.
In addition, while nearly nine in 10 (88 percent) respondents
said that their organization provides security training – with such
training mostly mandatory – the findings suggest that training is
not an absolute deterrent. Of those who receive security training,
17 percent said they still write down their user name and
passwords, and 19 percent said they would be willing to sell
confidential data. Surprisingly, those numbers increase for those
who receive frequent training: of the employees who receive
quarterly training, 24 percent said they write down their user
names and passwords and 28 percent said they are willing to sell
confidential data. This suggests that it’s the quality, not the
frequency or quantity, of training that matters.
“Employees have a key role in the healthcare industry’s battle
with cyber criminals,” Schoew said. “As payers and providers invest
in digital to transform productivity, cut costs and improve
quality, they need a multi-pronged approach to data security that
involves consistent and relevant training, multiple security
techniques to protect data and continuous monitoring for anomalous
behavior.”
MethodologyTo better understand healthcare organization
employee attitudes and behaviors related to cybersecurity
practices, Accenture surveyed 912 qualified employees of health
providers (601) and payer organizations (311) from the United
States and Canada. All respondents had access to digital health
data including personally identifiable information, payment card
information and protected health data. The online survey was
conducted in November 2017.
About AccentureAccenture is a leading global professional
services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions
in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.
Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more
than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the
world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the
intersection of business and technology to help clients improve
their performance and create sustainable value for their
stakeholders. With more than 435,000 people serving clients in more
than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way
the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
Accenture Security helps organizations build resilience from the
inside out, so they can confidently focus on innovation and growth.
Leveraging its global network of cybersecurity labs, deep industry
understanding across client value chains and services that span the
security lifecycle, Accenture protects organization’s valuable
assets, end-to-end. With services that include strategy and risk
management, cyber defense, digital identity, application security
and managed security, Accenture enables businesses around the world
to defend against known sophisticated threats, and the unknown.
Follow us @AccentureSecure on Twitter or visit us
at www.accenture.com/security.
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AccentureJenn Francis, +1
630-338-6426jennifer.francis@accenture.com
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