Cyber security in primary health

October has been Cyber Security Awareness Month, which provides a timely reminder for our healthcare providers of the importance of safeguarding patient data.

General practices (GPs) and healthcare organisations are frequent targets of cyberattacks, from ransomware to phishing, risking patient confidentiality and service delivery.

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) revealed 41 per cent of healthcare organisations in Australia experienced a cyberattack in 2023.

To improve your organisations cybersecurity, consider these steps:

• implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure accounts
• train staff on phishing and data protection basics
• regularly update software to close security gaps
• backup patient data to ensure swift recovery after incidents.

For more information visit:

Australian Digital Health Agency – Cyber Security for healthcare providers

Australian Cyber Security Centre – Essential Eight

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner