In today's digital era, the threat of data breaches looms larger than ever, particularly for hospital systems and providers. Call centers serve as critical touchpoints to support digital access for employees. As the public learns more details on recent data hacks, we can conclude it is imperative that we reassess how we verify caller identities. Recent incidents have highlighted the vulnerability of call centers, with many attacks using social engineering tactics to gain information1 that allowed criminals to steal employee credentials to gain access to systems or patient information.
Historically, call centers have relied on traditional authentication methods such as confirming a caller's name and/or employee ID number. While these methods can be efficient for an agent handling requests, they do not account for the sophisticated, emerging cyber threats. Cybercriminals are using things like AI-fueled, sophisticated social engineering schemes to convincingly impersonate employees or trick them into sharing their credentials. In IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report, findings showed that stolen credentials were the most common attack vector2. As a result, relying solely on basic identity information can leave your systems open to a breach.
While call center systems may not be able to detect anomalies in a digital profile, they must be equipped with tools that provide a more comprehensive approach to verifying and authenticating. The goal is not to place more of a burden on agents, but instead to adopt a multi-faceted approach that balances security with a positive service experience.
Implementing multi-factor authentication has become a priority3 for healthcare providers. Why is multi-factor authentication different? It requires more than a single identifier for access – a caller would have to provide at least two or more verification factors. Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, has three factors that most cybersecurity plans should adhere to: an employee should have to verify “something they know, something they have, and something they are.” Let’s delve into what these factors represent and how they contribute to securing access.
While enhancing security is a necessity in these times, it must be balanced with providing a relatively frictionless experience for callers. Overly complex processes can frustrate agents and the caller leading to decreased productivity.
To achieve this balance, healthcare providers should consider:
In conclusion, cyber threats continue to emerge and healthcare providers must evolve their strategies for protecting sensitive information. By adding additional security to call center systems, healthcare providers can significantly impact the risk of data breaches while maintaining a positive, efficient interaction for the caller and agent. There is a lot at risk, but with the right approach, systems can be better protected. Investing in robust cybersecurity solutions today will pay dividends in against the emerging threats.
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