March 01, 2018

One in Five Health Employees Willing to Sell Confidential Data to Unauthorized Parties, Accenture Survey Finds


CHICAGO; Mar. 1, 2018—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).

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.

Losing the Cyber Culture War in Healthcare: Accenture 2018 Healthcare Workforce Survey on Cybersecurity from Accenture


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.”

Methodology
To 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 Accenture
Accenture 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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Contact:

Jenn Francis
Accenture
+1 630 338 6426
jennifer.francis@accenture.com