In today’s world, the frequency of being hacked has many independent pharmacies and business owners feeling uneasy. With all of the information held in a pharmacy, there’s a lot to protect. However, you can avoid a computer break-in through the internet with a little planning.
Is your pharmacy liable? If your pharmacy uses a person’s data, you have an obligation to protect it. It’s currently unclear who is ultimately responsible for small businesses. But if your pharmacy is the target of breach, your reputation could take a huge hit. Not all businesses overcome a security breach, and some end up going out of business. If you don’t take security seriously, this could potentially become a reality. The average costs to recover after a cyber breach for a small business is around $500,000.
Here are some tips on how to keep your pharmacy safe in a world of cyber crimes.
Avoid Custom Software
Stay a step ahead of hackers. Be careful with any custom-made software, as these programs are rarely tested for security. Beware of content-management systems (CMS), which is software designed to allow independent pharmacies to easily update their websites. These are not a good idea.
Protect Passwords
A lot of people tend to get lazy about passwords, including your employees. Use complex passwords with more than 12 characters, and use both letters and numbers that are hard to crack. Don’t use the same IDs and passwords for different applications and networks.
Independent pharmacies can also use free online password generators, like Secure Password Generator. This instantly generates long, complicated passwords for you. You can also purchase password-management software that auto-generates complicated passwords and stores all your IDs and passwords into one, easy-to-use program.
Keep Data Off the Internet
Consider keeping patient data and credit-card data on a completely separate system that’s always disconnected from the internet.
Have your employees stay on the lookout for “social engineering ploys.” These happen when a hacker tricks someone at your pharmacy to give them digital information over the phone or through email.
Regularly update your pharmacy staff of any and all of the latest tricks hackers are using. Hold regular meetings, emails, or send out memos to keep everyone aware.
Get Insurance
Consider buying insurance against a cyber-attack and data breach. Most policies don’t have enough coverage, so you’ll want to purchase additional coverage to protect your assets.
Additional Ways to Reduce Risk to Your Pharmacy
Install anti-virus software. Be sure to keep it updated, too.
Upgrade to a business-grade firewall/router.
Provide awareness training for your pharmacy staff members about security threats (including email, phones, fax, internet browsing, etc.).
Separate your wireless network from your local area network, which is where your data resides.
Contact your pharmacy management system and ask how they protect your data. What do they recommend?
Never put private pharmacy information on social media.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
