RSI Security

Category: HITRUST

Navigate the HITRUST CSF framework with expert insights. Explore certification types (e1, i1, r2, AI), readiness and bridge assessments, version updates like v11.4.0, remediation strategies, and how HITRUST aligns with HIPAA, NIST, and ISO standards

  • HIPAA Risk Assessment, CMMC Compliance, and HITRUST Audits

    HIPAA Risk Assessment, CMMC Compliance, and HITRUST Audits

     Organizations operating across multiple regulated industries often struggle to navigate overlapping compliance requirements. From healthcare to defense contracting, understanding where to begin can be overwhelming. Fortunately, HITRUST CSF certification offers a unified framework that simplifies compliance across standards like HIPAA and CMMC 2.0.

    Key Takeaways

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  • Main Causes of Security Breaches in the Healthcare Industry

    Main Causes of Security Breaches in the Healthcare Industry

    Over the past decade, the healthcare industry has undergone a major shift from paper records to electronic health records (EHRs). In 2008, fewer than half of healthcare organizations used EHR systems. Today, thanks to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), digital records are now the standard across hospitals, clinics, and physician offices. While EHR adoption has modernized healthcare operations and improved patient care, it has also introduced new cybersecurity Security Breaches . As healthcare organizations store increasing amounts of sensitive patient information online, the risk of healthcare security breaches has grown significantly.

    Since the HITECH Act strengthened penalties for noncompliance, the number of reported healthcare breaches has risen steadily. In 2010 alone, the number of reported incidents exceeded the total from the previous six years combined. Although the spike was initially attributed to rapid EHR adoption, it is now clear that several factors contribute to the growing risk of healthcare security breaches. With the widespread use of digital tools—including smartphones, cloud storage, connected medical devices, and complex network systems—cybersecurity threats in healthcare have become more sophisticated. Understanding the causes of healthcare security breaches is essential for protecting electronic protected health information (ePHI) and strengthening healthcare cybersecurity defenses. (more…)

  • How to Optimize Data Encryption in Healthcare

    How to Optimize Data Encryption in Healthcare

    Cyberattacks on healthcare organizations are growing, putting personal and identifiable information (PII) at constant risk. That’s why encryption is more important than ever.

    Encryption helps protect sensitive data and is a key requirement under HIPAA and HITRUST CSF. With major updates to both frameworks coming in 2025, now is the time to strengthen your encryption strategy.

    This blog explores what the new standards mean and how your organization can stay secure and compliant.

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  • Why Your Business Needs Advanced Endpoint Protection

    Why Your Business Needs Advanced Endpoint Protection

    Advanced endpoint protection is a cybersecurity approach designed to secure laptops, desktops, mobile devices, servers, and other endpoints connected to a business network. Unlike traditional antivirus software, advanced endpoint protection combines real-time monitoring, behavioral analysis, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities to stop sophisticated threats before they spread. (more…)

  • HITRUST vs. HIPAA: What’s the Difference?

    HITRUST vs. HIPAA: What’s the Difference?

    Enacted in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets essential rules for protecting the privacy and security of medical information. While HIPAA continues to play a critical role in healthcare compliance, many organizations encounter confusion when comparing it to the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST). HITRUST is often mistakenly thought to be the same as HIPAA. In this article, we’ll break down HITRUST vs HIPAA, explain their differences, and help you understand which framework applies to your organization. (more…)

  • How to Leverage HITRUST for Third-Party Risk Management

    How to Leverage HITRUST for Third-Party Risk Management

    For organizations that rely on vendors, service providers, and strategic partners, third-party risk is one of the most persistent and difficult cybersecurity challenges. HITRUST helps solve that challenge by providing a standardized, scalable, and proven assurance framework to evaluate and trust third parties — without rebuilding your third party risk management (TPRM) process from scratch.

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  • What Are the HITRUST AI Security Assessments?

    What Are the HITRUST AI Security Assessments?

    HITRUST recently released a new assessment catering to AI security. Building on the HITRUST approach, it provides high-level assurance and certifies an organization’s commitment to robust, continuously improving cyber defenses in the face of evolving threats related to AI technology.

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  • HITRUST CSF Version 11.4.0 Release

    HITRUST CSF Version 11.4.0 Release

    The most recent edition of the HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework), version 11.4.0, was published in late 2024. The new update added a significant amount of new authoritative sources to the framework, primarily impacting its mapping and compliance coverage for military contractors and other organizations.

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  • Key Remediation Steps After a Failed HITRUST Assessment

    Key Remediation Steps After a Failed HITRUST Assessment

    The HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) serves as a comprehensive, certifiable framework that integrates various standards and regulations to assist organizations in managing data protection and compliance. Given its extensive scope, encompassing numerous processes, requirements, and standards, it’s not uncommon for entities to encounter challenges during their HITRUST assessments, leading to unsuccessful initial or subsequent attempts. However, there are effective remediation strategies available to address these challenges and achieve certification.

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  • How to Get HITRUST Certified

    How to Get HITRUST Certified

    In the realm of cybersecurity and data protection, HITRUST certification is a gold standard that signifies your organization meets rigorous standards for safeguarding sensitive information. HITRUST certification is a widely recognized benchmark for data security and regulatory compliance. It demonstrates your organization’s dedication to safeguarding sensitive information while aligning with industry-leading standards like HIPAA, ISO, and NIST. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of the HITRUST certification process to help your organization achieve and maintain compliance.

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