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Crossing Borders: The Cyber Pulse of Global Healthcare | A Conversation with Dr. Saif Abed | Redefining CyberSecurity with Sean Martin

40 min • 2 april 2024

Guest: Dr. Saif Abed MD, Director of Cybersecurity Advisory Services, The AbedGraham Group

On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsaifabed/

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Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast [@RedefiningCyber]

On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/sean-martin

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Episode Notes

In this episode of the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast, host Sean Martin welcomes Dr. Saif Abed, who brings a wealth of experience from both the medical and cyber security practices. Specializing in the interface of healthcare and cybersecurity, Dr. Abed discusses the diverse challenges and evolving threats faced by the healthcare sector amidst rapid digitization and the global push towards electronic health records and connected medical devices.

Dr. Abed provides insightful reflections on the state of cyber maturity across nations, emphasizing the diverse stages at which healthcare systems find themselves in terms of digitization and cybersecurity readiness. He underpins the conversation with examples from his extensive advisory roles to technology companies and governmental agencies, especially during critical times such as the pandemic.

A significant part of the discussion revolves around how healthcare entities are digitizing faster than they can secure their systems, making them susceptible to attacks such as ransomware. Dr. Abed criticizes the reactive nature of policy and regulation, suggesting that it often lags behind the threats, posing an ongoing challenge for healthcare providers to maintain patient safety and care quality.

The conversation also explores the implications of policies like HIPAA and the importance of adopting a global treaty to address cyber attacks on healthcare organizations. Dr. Abed argues for a balanced approach — 'carrots' for providers and 'sticks' for vendors — to enforce better compliance and ensure the sustainability of digital healthcare ecosystems. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, professional achievements, and expert analysis, Dr. Abed offers a nuanced understanding of the intricate relationship between healthcare delivery and cybersecurity. His call for more resilient and proactive measures highlights the urgent need for alignment between healthcare advancements and cybersecurity policies to protect public health on a global scale.