As the healthcare sector faces an unprecedented surge in cyberattacks, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a long-overdue security rule update to strengthen healthcare cybersecurity efforts. The proposed update to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) security rule addresses vulnerabilities exposed by ransomware and large-scale breaches that have plagued hospitals and healthcare systems in recent years. Emphasizing encryption, multifactor authentication (MFA), and network segmentation, the updates are critical to a larger Zero Trust security model.
While many in the healthcare industry already use encryption and MFA, microsegmentation software provides an additional layer of security, helping hospitals and healthcare organizations contain breaches before they impact patient records or care.
A Closer Look at the HIPAA Security Rule Updates
The proposed rule by HHS represents the first major update to HIPAA’s security rule since 2013. Key provisions include:
- Encryption of Protected Health Information (PHI): Ensuring that sensitive data cannot be easily accessed if stolen.
- Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Adding a layer of security to prevent unauthorized access through compromised credentials.
- Network Segmentation: Limiting lateral movement of attackers within a network.
Additional updates address patch management, access controls, privileged access management, asset inventory, network mapping, backup and recovery, incident reporting, risk assessments, compliance audits, and more.
According to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Director, these updates aim to help the healthcare industry address current and future cybersecurity threats by modernizing safeguards to reflect advances in technology and cybersecurity.
Microsegmentation for Healthcare Cybersecurity
The proposed HIPAA updates incorporate many cybersecurity best practices in other industries with strict compliance standards. These recommendations provide a foundation for a zero trust architecture, built on the principle of “never trust, always verify.”
To comply with the new HIPAA rules, which take effect in March 2025, healthcare organizations must expand their Zero Trust strategies beyond traditional tools like MFA, privileged access management (PAM), single sign-on (SSO), and identity and access management (IAM) to include microsegmentation.
Microsegmentation is an advanced network security approach that divides a network into smaller, isolated segments. Unlike traditional perimeter defenses, which focus on external threats, microsegmentation limits the impact of breaches by controlling east-west traffic—the movement of data within a network. Each segment operates independently, with unique access controls tailored to specific systems or devices.
By integrating microsegmentation into their cybersecurity strategies, healthcare organizations can achieve profound benefits:
- Improved Security: Microsegmentation reduces the attack surface by isolating critical systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs), cloud applications, medical imaging devices, and IoT devices. Granular access controls ensure that only authorized users can access specific resources, making lateral movement within the network significantly harder for attackers.
- Stronger Data Protection: Patient data is among the most sensitive information an organization can hold. By creating dedicated network segments for PHI, healthcare providers can safeguard patient data against unauthorized access or modification. Even if one segment is compromised, the breach’s impact is contained.
- Threat Containment: When a breach occurs, microsegmentation enables rapid containment. Security teams can quarantine affected segments while maintaining access for forensic analysis, minimizing disruption and accelerating recovery efforts.
- HIPAA Compliance: Microsegmentation helps healthcare organizations meet the requirement to separate mission-critical assets into discrete network segments to minimize lateral movement by threat actors. It also provides network visualization maps to identify traffic patterns and interactions, helping organizations spot vulnerabilities and enforce security policies effectively.
Getting Started with Microsegmentation
Historically, network microsegmentation solutions have been out of reach for many organizations due to high costs, resource demands, and complexity. Fortunately, today’s enterprise-class solutions are easier to install, more affordable, and simpler to implement.
The 12Port Horizon platform meets the unique needs of the healthcare industry, making microsegmentation practical and accessible. With deployment times of less than an hour, it enables quick segmentation of network workloads, strengthening Zero Trust defenses and ensuring compliance with industry regulations. It helps organizations secure critical assets, isolate attacks, and mitigate risks across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.
Key Features of 12Port Horizon:
- Network Mapping and Visualization – Visualize traffic patterns and interactions by mapping data flows between assets and policy segments. This provides insights into north-south and east-west traffic patterns to define precise security policies.
- Granular Policy Management – Define and enforce security policies with intuitive taxonomies and intelligent asset tagging. Rules for access control can be customized based on factors like application type and user identity, ensuring fine-tuned security.
- Workload Isolation – Isolate individual workloads based on security policies, preventing lateral movement of threats across the network.
- Deployment in Virtual and Cloud Environments – Support for virtualized and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) environments, allowing seamless integration and adaptability in cloud and hybrid infrastructures.
- Asset Database – House critical information such as asset details, credentials, metadata, classification tags, and segmentation taxonomies.
Stay Compliant with Microsegmentation
Healthcare breaches endanger patient safety and result in financial penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. As Anne Neuberger, the White House’s deputy national security adviser, noted, “The cost of not acting is not only high, but it also endangers critical infrastructure and patient safety.”
While the proposed HIPAA updates provide a solid foundation, advanced strategies like microsegmentation are essential to safeguard patient data and ensure uninterrupted care. By isolating network segments, enforcing granular access controls, and continuously monitoring for threats, healthcare organizations can stay ahead of cybercriminals and build a more secure future.
Get started today with 12Port Horizon to segment your network. Contact us for a demo or free trial.