Mobile Version
Subscribe
Contact Us
About Us
Advertising
Editorial
SC UK
SC Aus/NZ
Home
News
Features
Opinions
News Bytes
Editorial Videos
In Focus Videos
Products
Podcasts
Canada
Newsletters
Products
Group Tests
First Looks
Products
About Reviews
Blogs
The News Team Blog
The Data Breach Blog
The SC Magazine Awards Blog
Extras
ebooks
Case Studies
Slideshows
Spotlights
Buyers Guide
Whitepapers
IT Security Jobs
Events
SC Awards U.S.
SC Congress Canada
SCWC 24/7
SC Awards Canada
SC Congress New York
Editorial Webcasts
Vendor Webcasts
Subscribe
Newsletters
Subscribe to SC
Archive
Archive
Featured Topics:
Patches
Malware
Breaches
Government
Cybercrime Corner
Congress Canada
Canada News
RSS
|
Login
|
Register
SC Magazine
>
News
> Privacy issues loom over Google Health
Privacy issues loom over Google Health
Sue Marquette Poremba
May 20, 2008
Print
Email
Reprint
Permissions
Text:
A
|
A
|
A
Related Articles
Google, Cleveland hospital begin medical records project
Google chief exec targeted over privacy policy
Kaiser Permanente partners with Microsoft on health records
Privacy standards help safeguard online health data
National health-record privacy law in Congress
Health information security standard issued
Stimulus bill includes protection for digital health care records
A call to revamp HIPAA
Google responds to call for more security
Related Links
Google Health
More News
Symantec code posted despite attempt to trap suspect
MasterCard announces product future around EMV
Adobe announces Flash sandbox for Firefox
Deadline looms to remove click-fraud malware
Anonymous raids law firm over its defense of Marine
RELATED TOPICS
Healthcare
Insider Threats
Privacy Regulation
Consumer Threats
More in News:
Federal agencies' FISMA grade up slightly
Read More >>
As Google launches its Google Health, security experts are concerned that personal medical records are at a greater risk of being breached.
Google
Health allows patients to view and manage their own health care records while also allowing that data to be shared with doctors, pharmacists, and other medical personnel.
According to a recent survey conducted by SecureWorks, a managed security services provider, health care information is attacked up to three times as often as banking and financial information. By allowing medical records online, the risk of having that information attacked increases, Don Jackson, director of threat intelligence at SecureWorks told SCMagazineUS.com on Tuesday.
“It's not a question of how good the security is,” Jackson said, “When you put all this information is one central location like this, a single compromise will affect a lot of data.”
Heath care data is valuable on the black market, Jackson added.
“You get social security numbers, mother's maiden name, home address," he said. "It's a soft target that turns out to be a treasure trove of information.”
In response, Google said it uses software, hardware, and strict policies to keep user health information safe and private.
“The health information users store with us is protected by state-of-the-art technologies, including Secure Socket Layer (
SSL
) encryption, firewalls, alarms, and other technology we build ourselves or buy from other experts in the security industry,” a Google spokesperson told SCMagazineUS.com. “We have extensive backup systems in place to protect the integrity of this information. Google's servers are protected by strong physical security at our facilities, including passcodes, locks, and security personnel.”
On Google's own
blog
, readers raise a concern of Google employees having access to health records.
According to Google, “a limited number of employees at Google have access to confidential information of any sort, and even fewer have access to what we consider very sensitive data. This is primarily because there's very little reason to provide that access; most of our processes are automated and don't require human intervention.”
Please enable JavaScript to view the
comments powered by Disqus.
Sponsored Links
Most Popular
Most Emailed
Most Recent
FBI call gives clues into Anonymous, LulzSec probes
Anonymous raids law firm over its defense of Marine
WordPress attacks try to infect users with dangerous rootkit
Deadline looms to remove click-fraud malware
Security breaches impacting VeriSign emerge in filing
Cyber beacons: The challenges of new technologies
Boundless information: Mining social networks
Attacks could steal HTC Wi-Fi codes with malicious app
Palin hacker appeal rejected
Risk: Security's new compliance
WordPress attacks try to infect users with dangerous rootkit
Risk: Security's new compliance
FBI call gives clues into Anonymous, LulzSec probes
Deadline looms to remove click-fraud malware
Anonymous raids law firm over its defense of Marine
Don't let Wi-Fi hotspots get the best of you
Google using custom malware scanner for Android apps
Lessons on insider threats
Security breaches impacting VeriSign emerge in filing
Adjoining islands: Security convergence
Symantec code posted despite attempt to trap suspect
MasterCard announces product future around EMV
Phishing email leads to Denver area health care breach
Towards a safer internet
Deadline looms to remove click-fraud malware
Don't let Wi-Fi hotspots get the best of you
Risk: Security's new compliance
Patient data at U of M hospital breached
Anonymous raids law firm over its defense of Marine
Security vendors can no longer ignore patch management
Powered by Disqus
Popular Topics
Android
Anonymous
Application Security
Breaches & Exposures
Data Breaches
DNS
Education
Finance
Government
Hackers
Hacktivism
Health Care
Insider Threat
Lawbreakers & Cybercrime
Lawsuit
Legislation
LulzSec
Malware
Mobile Applications
Mobile Devices
Phishing
Privacy
Rootkits
SC Awards 2012
Trojans