Pharmacies in danger: How to protect yourself from cyber attacks!

Pharmacies in danger: How to protect yourself from cyber attacks!

Cybersecurity in pharmacies has become a central topic within the responsibility of entrepreneurs. With digital risks on the rise, it is critical that pharmacies take proactive measures to protect themselves against external attackers, internal inattention, and outdated systems. Loud Press box Many pharmacists wrongly assume that cybersecurity is only relevant for large companies. However, the reality is that over 80% of companies in Germany were affected by data theft or digital sabotage in 2024, as Bitkom reports.

The introduction of e-prescriptions and the digital networking of pharmacies increase the risks significantly. Another problem is that many pharmacies store patient profiles unencrypted and have not implemented sufficient back-up systems. In the event of a data protection incident, pharmacies are obliged to inform both the regulator and the affected patients within 72 hours, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which sets out essential data breach reporting obligations.

Risks and responsibility

A significant deficit in digital risk awareness in the healthcare system was identified by insurance expert Seyfettin Günder. Untrained employees can inadvertently lead to data breaches. This highlights the need for training and the implementation of technical protective measures in every pharmacy. How SRD Lawyers As explained, pharmacies that carelessly delegate their responsibility for patient data and legal standards are at high risk.

In addition, pharmacies must also establish an emergency plan so that they can react quickly in an emergency. Failure to do so in this area can not only result in high fines, but also lead to a loss of insurance coverage. Many pharmacies have commercial liability insurance, but this often does not cover digital damage.

Legal framework

The GDPR requires technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, which is particularly important for pharmacies. This includes pseudonymization, encryption and regular evaluations of security precautions. The NIS 2 Directive aims to unify cybersecurity requirements at European level, but it only applies to essential entities with a certain minimum level of employees or turnover.

In addition, the Cyber ​​Resilience Act (CRA), which is scheduled to come into force in November 2027, is important for hardware and software manufacturers and requires security precautions throughout the entire product life cycle. This could also have consequences for pharmacies that use digital technologies.

At a time when digital transformation is advancing rapidly, a strategic security architecture that integrates technology, people and insurance is essential. Pharmacies must ensure that they not only have the appropriate technical protection structures in place, but also that their staff are well trained and that they can act quickly in an emergency to protect their patients' sensitive data. This is the only way they can successfully meet the challenges of the digital world.