Strengthening Cybersecurity Measures for Medical Institutions

“The Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan has issued guidelines urging medical institutions to adopt enhanced cybersecurity measures to prevent cyberattacks. These guidelines emphasize the need for robust security practices, including timely updates to network devices, strong password policies, and communication controls.

Medical institutions are advised to regularly upgrade network equipment, apply patches, and update firmware to prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities. The guidelines also recommend checking for vulnerability information from manufacturers and ensuring security software is kept up-to-date with the latest definition files.

To further mitigate risks, institutions are urged to use strong, complex passwords that are difficult to guess, avoiding the reuse of the same password across multiple devices or services. Communication networks should be carefully monitored with proper access controls, and logs of systems and devices must be maintained accurately.

Local governments are tasked with raising public awareness and ensuring that these cybersecurity measures are implemented consistently across medical institutions. The “”Minimum Measures to Reduce the Risk of Cyber Attacks”” should be widely disseminated and applied without delay.”

Source:https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/docs/n3x/yakumu/tsuchi/cnt/r6tsuchi.html##~https://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/documents/109080/240801_iryoukikan_cyber.pdf

Region: Japan