HIPAA and Pentesting: What You Need to Know

HIPAA regulatory standards outline the lawful use, disclosure, and safeguarding of protected health information (PHI). Any organization that collects or handles PHI must comply with HIPAA rules. The HIPAA legislation is based on five rules, the first three of which deal directly with protecting PHI:

• Privacy: Prevention of customer data being shared with any one or any organization without obtaining the required permissions.
• Security: Establishment of safeguards to protect data from being accessed inappropriately or inadvertently. Protections fall into three categories, and covered organizations must:
  • Administrative – have knowledgeable staff and effective processes in place.
  • Technical – have IT tools for control of data, including encryption and authentication.
  • Nontechnical – have facilities in place that deter physical theft.
• Breach Notification: Prompt reporting of any breach to the Department of Health and Human Services, and the inclusion of reporting requirements in all contracts with business associates such as billing agencies or other third-party entities performing work involving PHI.
• Transaction: Use of specific codes for sharing data that ensure the privacy and accuracy of medical records and PHI.
• Identifiers: The sharing of PHI only with other HIPAA-recognized organizations using unique identifying numbers.

The Importance of HIPAA and HITRUST Compliance

Without HIPAA, healthcare organizations are under no legal obligation to protect PHI or to share data with other organizations upon request from the patient. Through HIPAA, healthcare organizations must establish strict security controls to protect PHI and have staff trained in PHI protection and handling. They must also share patient data upon request with other HIPAA organizations. To achieve HIPAA compliance organizations must prove to an auditor that they have effective controls and policies in place.  With HIPAA, patients have assurance that medical organizations they deal with are taking steps to protect their PHI and will share that data upon request. 

While HIPAA specifies rules for protecting PHI, it does not prescribe how to achieve compliance, or provide  a certification program. That is why implementing HIPAA standards can be complex and confusing. To make it easier to achieve compliance, the Health Information Alliance Trust (HITRUST), a private not-for-profit company, developed the HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF). HITRUST is a trusted official certifying organization, and its HITRUST CSF helps organizations design, deploy and manage their security compliance programs with a single streamlined framework based on HIPAA rules. In short, HIPAA lays out the rules and HITRUST outlines how to comply with them. 

To receive certification, an independent auditor assesses the organization’s compliance with applicable HITRUST requirements.  A successful HITRUST assessment and certification can be used to demonstrate HIPAA compliance. 

Achieve HIPAA and HITRUST to Protect Your Health Data with HackerOne Pentest

Data security is at the core of HIPAA, and pentesting plays a crucial role in helping organizations achieve HIPAA and HITRUST certifications. Pentesting identifies cyber security vulnerabilities that can affect data, with the testing results informing remediations. It validates the effectiveness of security controls and demonstrates to regulators that your organization is proactive in protecting data.

HackerOne Pentest offers a comprehensive approach to help organizations achieve and maintain HIPAA and HITRUST compliance through rigorous pentesting::

• Safeguard PHI Security: Our pentests meticulously examine controls around Protected Health Information (PHI), verifying that they meet the stringent requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule. We assess the effectiveness of access controls, encryption mechanisms, and other security measures designed to protect PHI from unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. Additionally, our pentests are designed to simulate real-world attack scenarios that can uncover misconfigurations, unpatched systems, and many other flaws that could potentially lead to data breaches.
• Leverage Experienced Pentesters: The HackerOne Delivery Team assigns seasoned, HIPAA and HITRUST-certified pentesters who possess deep expertise in healthcare security. These experts assess your organization's security posture against the comprehensive standards set forth by HIPAA and HITRUST. By identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, we provide actionable recommendations to strengthen your security controls and achieve compliance.
• Comprehensive Reporting: Upon completion of our pentests, we deliver detailed reports that articulate the identified vulnerabilities and their potential impact on HIPAA and HITRUST compliance. These reports serve as a roadmap for targeted improvements, enabling your organization to prioritize remediation efforts and demonstrate to regulators and stakeholders that you are proactively protecting sensitive health data.
• Real-Time Results on the HackerOne Platform: The HackerOne platform provides organizations with real-time visibility into the pentesting process and results. Through the platform, customers can track the progress of the pentest, review findings as they emerge, and collaborate with the pentesters and the HackerOne team to address identified vulnerabilities promptly. This real-time access ensures that organizations can take immediate action to mitigate risks and maintain HIPAA and HITRUST compliance.

To learn more about how to use pentesting to address HIPAA compliance, contact the experts at HackerOne today.