Cybersecurity: addressing the 'termination gap' and protecting data

By being aware of certain tactics and red flags, IT and security teams can take proactive steps to detect misuse of former employees' access credentials before they cause harm, says Imprivata's Joel Burleson-Davis. The sporadic nature of the healthcare workforce in the pandemic era has heightened the risk of insider threats and data security due to factors like remote work models, clinician burnout, and an increased reliance on travelling healthcare personnel to fill shortages. Healthcare systems frequently leave terminated employees' login credentials live for potentially months after they have left an organisation because of the frequent mismatch between IT and human resources departments. It is a growing weakness that is used in cyberattacks. Joel Burleson-Davis, senior vice president of worldwide engineering, cyber at Imprivata, claims that this has led to an increase in insider threats, whether unintentional or deliberate. Burleson-Davis was questioned by Healthcare IT News about the dangers of shifting workforces and thwarting assaults like data exfiltration.