Cyber-analytics: Modeling factors associated with healthcare data breaches

Highlights：

• The number of healthcare data breaches continues to increase at an alarming rate.

• This study modeled the level of exposure, security and organizational factors associated with healthcare data breaches.

• Healthcare data breaches risk exposing personal health information making this study important to the healthcare field.

• Data from two major healthcare databases were merged to examine factors associated with breaches.

• Results provide interesting associations between organizational attributes and healthcare data breaches.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to develop a model of factors associated with healthcare data breaches. Variables were operationalized as the healthcare facilities' level of exposure, level of security, and organizational factors. The outcome variable was the binary value for data breach/no data breach. Because healthcare data breaches carry the risk of personal health information exposure, corruption or destruction, this study is important to the healthcare field. Data were obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services database of healthcare facilities reporting data breaches and from a large national database of technical and organizational infrastructure information. Binary logistic regression was utilized to examine a representative data breach model. Results indicate several exposure, security and organizational factors significantly associated with healthcare data breaches.

论文关键词：Security,Cyber security,Cyber risk,Data breach,Risk management,Exposure,Vulnerability assessment,Level of exposure,Level of security,Security modeling,Cyber-analytics

论文评审过程：Received 14 August 2017, Revised 17 February 2018, Accepted 17 February 2018, Available online 2 March 2018, Version of Record 16 April 2018.