Medical PC Definition
Medical PCs or medical computers are developed with the healthcare industry in mind. To be called medical grade, a personal computer for the healthcare industry must carry the UL/IEC60601-1 certification. After passing rigorous safety and performance tests, medical computers earn IEC 60601-1 certification. Validation is an additional safety measure that guarantees the medical gadget will not damage its users.
Use of Medical Computers for EHR
Although some doctors still prefer paper charts, electronic health records (EHRs) have quickly become the industry standard. Financial incentives for Medicare providers who show substantial use of technology for EHR were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
A medical-grade computer needs to handle health records quickly to finish a patient visit on time. In addition, HIPAA compliance under the HITECH Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is also required, as patient privacy is becoming increasingly important.
Try to find a PC that has these features:
- The IP65 rating for dust ingress and low-pressure water jets ensures that the medical computer can withstand normal use in a hospital environment. When it comes to liquid ingress, a medical PC with this grade can be sprayed and wiped clean without fear of damaging the internal components.
- Special medical computers pioneered the introduction of a medical-grade computer with hot-swappable batteries by becoming the first computer manufacturer to do so. To meet the specific requirement of medical cart device integration, this function is well positioned to help the healthcare sector.
Surgical and Diagnostic Applications
The imaging capabilities of medical-grade computers have the potential to aid in patient care. For example, computers with the right graphics processing unit, screen resolution, central processing unit speed, and software compatibility can visualize a patient’s inside organs to aid surgeons during surgery. Moreover, diagnostic MRI and CT images are shown on computers, giving radiologists crucial data.
Diagnosticians can now see more clearly than ever, thanks to software and high-definition screen advancements.
Why do doctors need a computer?
It is common practice for doctors to inquire about a patient’s medical background, including previous diagnoses, current health issues, and medications. A database can be used to store this data effectively. Computers can also manage patient records, including prescriptions and payments.
How do nurses use computers in patient care?
The electronic health record (EHR) is a computerized record of a patient’s medical history that includes details about the care they’ve received from their nurses, the interventions they’ve had, and the patient’s response and progress toward their healthcare goal.
Did you know that most employees receive an average of 14 malicious emails per day? Or that phishing peaks around holiday times?
Email spoofing is a huge threat. Almost 95% of all phishing attacks are done through email, which makes it crucial to protect this in and outgoing channel. How can you do that?
This is where DMARC comes in. DMARC is a technical protocol that typically handles emails that aren’t authenticated, protecting email senders and receivers from spoofing, phishing, and fraud.
But does it do that? Let’s find out.
What Is Email Spoofing?
Email spoofing is a phishing technique used by would-be hackers to trick users like company employees into thinking a message came from a trusted entity or person when it didn’t.
Usually, the sender forges a trusted subject line like “Stimulus Cancellation Request Approved” or “Changes to your health benefits” to invite users to open the email, which they usually do because they often don’t inspect the header closely.
So, because they think the email is genuine, they open malware-embedded attachments, share sensitive data, and even back account details with these potential hackers.
Why Does Email Spoofing Happen?
Email spoofing happens because of the way email is designed. Let us explain. Usually, outgoing emails are assigned a specific sender address, but there’s no way to detect if the address is fake or legit.
As a result, fake emails can arrive in your inbox without you being the wiser.
Fortunately, your server, email service provider, and antimalware software can detect and filter suspicious-looking messages. And one of these solutions is DMARC.
What Is DMARC?
Domain-based Authentication Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) is a technical protocol — you can think of it like a gateway — that protects you from suspicious-looking emails.
It runs all emails you receive through DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) to protect you from hackers, spoofers, and fraudsters.
DMARC allows you to specify actions you’d like to take when an email fails SPF and DKIN authentication. This is done by using three different DMARC policies, including:
● P=none Policy — It keeps an eye on any DMARC-failed email, but it won’t stop that email from arriving in your inbox.
● P=quarantine Policy — It will send all DMARC-failed emails into your spam folder, reducing the chances of information leaks.
● P=reject Policy — It will reject DMARC-failed emails, stopping them from reaching your inbox.
How Can DMARC Protect You From Email Spoofing?
As mentioned above, DMARC tells email servers what to do when they receive a suspicious-looking message from someone outside your organization. Here’s how it does that:
● DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) — It embeds a unique digital sign into every sent email. Receivers use the sign to verify the authenticity of the email and ensure it wasn’t forged during transit.
● Sender Policy Framework (SPF) — It allows you to authorize IP addresses allowed to send emails to you. Your server can then identify whether the message you received came from a server allowed by you.
Both of these email authentication methods increase the safety of your inbox and decrease the chances of you encountering malware in emails.
The Bottom Line
Spoofers are always looking for ways to get into your domain. But DMARC can’t stop them in their tracks, stopping information leaks, increasing legitimate email delivery, and saving you thousands of dollars in losses.
So, configure and monitor your domain’s DMARC policy to limit your exposure to email spoofing. You never know when you might need it.