Guests: Oklahoma is on track to turn cybersecurity vulnerability into a strength
A spate of cyber breaches at some of the state's largest health care providers have left many Oklahomans questioning the integrity and security of their health care services. The frequency and severity of these attacks will only increase as health care becomes increasingly virtual and health cybercrime continues to pay.
Health care cyber breaches across the country have more than doubled since 2018, mainly because health systems are vulnerable and lucrative targets. Just like energy pipelines or airports, health systems are “critical infrastructure.” Holding patient data at ransom via cyber attack can be a life-or-death circumstance. Faced with this dilemma, health systems frequently pay significant ransoms for swift recovery of services and mitigate legal liability. Moreover, stolen patient data is wildly lucrative on the dark web, so hackers are further incentivized to target health care.
Thankfully, the city of Tulsa is leading the nation in cybersecurity and virtual health innovation and talent development to address this nationwide vulnerability.
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As cyber criminals are devoting more of their energy to penetrating health systems, the whole industry is shifting toward delivering more care in the comfort of a patient’s home. This includes virtual health innovations like smart glucometers that provide doctors with real-time patient blood-glucose spikes, AI-powered cameras that prevent falls in assisted living facilities and many others. These technologies will improve care quality and access for millions of patients. Furthermore, these virtual health solutions are especially meaningful in states like Oklahoma where rural communities often lack access to adequate care. However, these new systems also broaden what cyber experts refer to as the “attack surface,” or the number of places hackers can try and break in.
Concerted investment from the state, researchers, educational institutions and Tulsa Innovation Labs (TIL) are turning this vulnerability into a source of Oklahoma strength and innovation. TIL is contributing to this effort by connecting ecosystem leaders, co-designing and launching programs that advance the cyber and virtual health workforce, startup and innovation development in the city.
Tulsa is home to one of the nation’s top cybersecurity programs at the University of Tulsa (TU). TIL joined forces with TU, the state and the George Kaiser Family Foundation to co-design and invest $75 million to launch the Oklahoma Cyber Innovation Institute (OCII) last year. Representing another significant public sector engagement to drive technological breakthroughs in this space, the institute is designed to innovate cyber solutions for critical infrastructure, which includes everything from pipelines and power lines to your local hospital’s data and delivery.
To grow the local cybersecurity talent pool, TIL collaborated with Tulsa Community College to launch the Cyber Skills Center (CSC), which offers adult career-switchers a 24-week cybersecurity program. The program further incentivizes Tulsans to participate by providing 60 full-tuition scholarships complete with free wraparound services like child care, transportation and career assistance. Furthermore, the city will witness an increase in cyber talent through the University of Oklahoma where the new OU Polytechnic Institute in Tulsa will offer a cybersecurity degree beginning this fall.
The Oklahoma state government also understands that securing Oklahomans’ health care is an enabler for business development. Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office told us that as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s State and Local Government Cybersecurity Grant Program, the AG is conducting a comprehensive review of Oklahoma cybersecurity regulation to identify opportunities to modernize Oklahoma laws for improved consumer protection, public safety and clearer guidance to industry. The goal of the initiative ― a collaboration of subject matter experts, law enforcement, government officials and private industry partners ― is to make Oklahoma a premiere authority for data protection and information-intensive business development.
The health and security of Oklahomans depends on our key institutions and medical providers, making the security of our health care systems a top priority. Regardless of investment, virtual health care and cybercrime are here and growing. But Oklahoma is on track to turn this vulnerability into a strength.
Conor Godfrey and Sahee Abdelmomin work with Tulsa Innovation Labs’ cybersecurity and virtual health portfolios, respectively. TIL is an initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma cybersecurity experts say virtual health care and cybercrime are growing
